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INTERIOR OF ROYAL EXCHANGE. — (Page 128)
LONDON
CITY
BY
SIR WALTER BESANT
LONDON
ADAM & CHARLES BLACK
I 9 I o
PREFACE
•
With this volume we begin what may be called the second part of the Survey.
All that has preceded it has dealt with the history of London as a whole ; now we
turn to London in its topographical aspect and treat it street by street, with all the
historical associations interwoven in a continuous narrative with a running com-
mentary of the aspect of the streets as they were at the end of the nineteenth
century, for the book is strictly a Survey of London up to the end of the nine-
teenth century. Sir Walter Besant himself wrote the greater part of the volume now
issued, calling it " The Antiquities of the City," and it is e.xclusively confined to the
City. For the topographical side of the great work, however, he employed assistants
to collect material for him and to help him ; for though, as he said, he had been
"walking about London for the last thirty years and found something fresh in it
every day," he could not himself collect the mass of detail requisite for a fair
presentation of the subject. In the present volume, therefore, embedded in his
running commentary, will be found detailed accounts of the City Companies, the
City churches and other buildings, which are not by his hand. A word as to the
plan on which the volume is made may be helpful. In cases where the City halls
are standing, accounts of the Companies they belong to are inserted there in the
course of the perambulation ; but where the Companies possess no halls, the matter
concerning them is relegated to an Appendi.x. The churches, however, being
peculiarly associated with the sites on which they are standing, or stood, are con-
sidered to be an integral part of the City associations, and churches, whether
vanished or standing, are noted in course of perambulation. A distinction which
shows at a glance whether any particular church is still e.xisting or has been de-
molished is made by the type ; for in the case of an existing church the name is
« ',•
/ 0 ^ / 1
vi SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
set in large black type, as a centre heading, whereas with a vanished church it is
given in smaller black type set in line.
The plan of the book is simplicity itself; it follows the lines of groups of streets,
taken as dictated by common sense and not by the somewhat arbitrary boundaries of
wards. The outlines of these groujDS are clearly indicated on the large map which
will be found at the end of the volume.
CONTENTS
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
GROUP I
Streets North and South of Cheapside and thic Poultry .
I'AGE
I
GROUP II
Streets North of Gresham Street and West of Moorgate Street ... 63
GROUP III
Streets between Moorgate and Bishopsgate Streets . . . . .91
GROUP IV
Streets between Fenchurch and Bishopsg.ate Streets . . . . .146
GROUP V
Thames Street and the Streets North and South of n . . . . . igo
The Tower of London .......... 28S
GROUP VI
Newg.\te Street and the Streets North and South of it .... 300
St. Paul's ............ 327
GROUP VII
Fleet Street and the adjacent Courts (including the Temple and the Rolls) . 362
The Temple ........... 370
The. Ancient Schools in the City of London ...... 385
viii SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
APPENDICES
I'AGE
1. The City Companies .......... 433
2. Mayors and Lord Mayors of London from 1189 to 1900 .... 455
3. A Calendar of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London from 1189 to 1900 . . 461
INDEX ............ 483
ILLUSTRATIONS
Interior of Royal Exchange .
Cheapside Cross (as it appeared on its
St. Mildred, Poultry .
Inside the Poultry Compter .
St. Lawrence, Jewry .
SS. Anne and Agnes
Blackwell Hall, 1819
Mercers' Hall : Interior
Mercers' Hall
City of London School, Milk Street
Church of St. Vedast
Goldsmiths' Hall, 1835
Gerard's Hall Crypt in 1795 .
The Armourers' and Brasiers' Almshouses, B
St. Mary, Aldermanbury, in 1814
Porch of St. Alphage, London Wall,
Sion College, London Wall, 1800
Grub Street Hermit .
St. Giles, Cripplegate
London Wall
The Pump in Cornhill, 1 800 .
St. Peter's, Cornhill .
Confectioner's Shop, Cornhill
Garraway's Coffee-House
Pope's House in Plough Court
St. Mar>' Woolnoth .
Altar of .St. Mary Abchurch .
Salters' Hall, 1822 .
St. Stephen, Walljrook
The Mansion House and Cheapside
Stocks Market
Bank of England Fountain
St. Bcnet Finck
erection in 1606)
shopsgat
,e Without, 185
PAGE
Frontispiece
5
18
19
26
27
31
Facing 32
35
39
43
45
57
65
70
72
11
n
81
83
93
96
98
99
103
Facing 106
log
113
'•"acing I 1 8
I 20
123
Facing i 2 6
129
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
f St. Martin Outwich, and the I
iew of the Church of St
Hall. Demolished 1799
St. Martin Outwich ....
Gresham College ....
Carpenters' Hall, London Wall, 1830
Ironmongers' Hall in the Eighteenth Century
A Remarkable Old House in Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street
Skin Market, Leadenhall, 1S25
Leadenhall Chapel in 18 12 .
Crypt in Leadenhall Street, 1825
Aldgate in 1830
St. Andrew Undershaft
Bishopsgate Street, showing Church (
St. Helen, Bishopsgate, 181 7
Cornhill Military Association, with a
Council Room, Crosby Hall, 18 16
Principal Entrance to Leathersellers'
St. Ethelburga, Bishopsgate Street
St. Botolph, Bishopsgate
Blackfriars Bridge, i 796
Liidgate Circus and Ludgate Hill
Stationers' Hall in 1830
Stationers' Hall (Interior)
Fleur-de-lys Court
British and Foreign Bible Society House
The College of Arms
Doctors' Commons, i 808
Queen Victoria Street
A. Bas-relief of a Gardener, Gardeners'
Council Chambers, X'intners' Hall
Whittington's House
Cannon Street, looking West
Old Merchant Taylors' School, Suffolk Lane, Cannon Street
Fishmongers' Hall, present day
London Bridge
Fishmongers' Hall in 1 8 l I
St. Magnus .
The Monument in 1752
The Coal Exchange .
Billingsgate Market .
Custom House
Cloth workers' Hall .
Whittington's House, Crutched P'riars, 1796 .
Pepys' Church (St. Olave, Hart Street)
Lane, 1791
ump, 1 8
Helen
s, and Leathersellers' Hall
14
PAGE
131
135
144
149
154
155
•57
160
161
169
173
177
179
Facing
180
181
184
186
187
193
198
199
201
203
Facing
206
209
2 1 1
Facing
214
2ig
231
236
Facing
250
254
260
Facing
260
261
262
265
271
Facing
272
Facing
274
■
277
279
281
ILLUSTRATIONS
XI
Trinity House, Tower Hill .
Remains of London Wall, Tower Hill, i8iS
Block, Axe, and Sca\enger's Daughter
Newgate Market, 1S56
Newgate, 1 799
Christ's Hospital, from the Cloisters, 1804
An Exciting Game, Christ's Hospital
The Oxford Arms, Warwick Lane
The Post Office, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Bull and Mouth Inn, London
St. Paul's Cathedral .
Paternoster Row (as it was) .
Paternoster Row
The City Boundary, Aldersgate
St. Bartholomew the Great
General Post Office .
Cloth Kair
Old Coach and Horses, Cloth Fair
Long Lane, Smithfield, iSio
Bartholotnew Fair, 172 i
Fleet Street .
Izaak Walton's House in Fleet .Street
St, Uunstan in the West (Old Church).
Inner Temple Gate House
Supposed House of Dryden, Fetter Lane
Dr. Johnson's House
Fleet Ditch, West Street, Smithtiekl, as it was in 1844
St. Paul's School (before its removal to Hammersmith)
PAGE
284
285
288
304
305
308
319
323
329
334
343
Fachig 346
349
353
Facing 2, i'^
356
357
358
3 59
Facing 364
366
368
Facing 374
380
402
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
It seems convenient in treating of the history and archeeology of the City to
take the streets in groups, each group being in connection with the main street
to which it belongs. We may in this fashion conveniently arrange the streets
as follows : —
(i) Those north and south of Cheapside and the Poultry.
(2) Those north of Gresham Street and west of Moorgate Street.
(3) Those between Moorgate and Bishopsgate Streets.
(4) Those between Fenchurch and Bishopsgate Streets.
(5) Thames Street and the streets north and south of it.
(6) Newgate Street and the streets north and south of it.
(7) Fleet Street and the adjacent Courts (including the Temple and the Rolls).
GROUP I
Cheapside. — We begin with the true heart of London, West Chepe, as
it was formerly called, and the streets lying north and south of this market-
place. St. Paul's Churchyard and Foster Lane mark our western boundary ;
Princes Street and Walbrook, our eastern ; Gresham Street (formerly Cateaton
Street) is on the north, and Cannon Street on the south.
By the time of Queen Elizabeth we find the West Chepe, with its streets
north and south, laid out with something like the modern regularity. We must
therefore go back to earlier centuries to discover its origin.
West Chepe, from time immemorial, has been the most important market
of the City. It was formerly, say in the twelfth century, a large open area.
This area contained no fewer than twenty-five churches, of which nine still exist.
The churches are dotted about in apparent disorder, which can be partly explained.
For the market of Chepe was extended in fact from the Church of St. Michael
le Ouerne on the west, to that of St. Christopher le Stock on the east, and lay
between the modern Gresham Street in the north and Watling Street in the south.
It is ordered in Liber Albus that all manner of victuals are to be sold
between the kennels of the streets. The so-called streets were narrow lanes,
many of which remain to the present day.
2 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
There was, however, a principal way, not a street in our sense of the word,
on either side of which, on the north and on the south, as well as along the
middle, were stalls and shops. These stalls were at first mere wooden sheds ;
the goods were exposed by day and removed at night ; in course of time they
became permanent shops with living, rooms at the back and an upper chamber.
Among the sheds stood "selds." The seld was a building not unlike the present
Covent Garden Market, being roofed over and containing shops and store-houses.
Several " selds " are mentioned in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These
were the " great-seld " in the Mercery, called after the Lady Roisia de Coventre.
This was near the house of St. Thomas of Aeon, where now stands the Mercers'
Hall. There was also the " great seld of London," in the ancient parish of St.
Pancras, therefore on the south side of Cheapside. There was again the " seld of
Fryday Street serving for foreign tanners, and time out of mind occupied with these
wares " ; and there was a seld held in 1304 by John de Stanes, mercer.
In the Liber Albiis the seld is distinguished from the "shop, the cellar or
solar." It is also alluded to in the same book as the place where w'ool and
other commodities are sold. Bakers were forbidden to store their bread in selds
longer than one night. The seld was therefore a w^arehouse, a weighing place,
as well as a shop. Since we hear nothing about selds in the Calendar of Wills
after the fourteenth century, we may infer that a change had been made in the
methods of the market. The change in fact was this. North and south of
what is now Cheapside were arranged in order the stalls of those who sold
everything ; these stalls were protected from the weather ; the various branches
or departments of the market were separated by narrow lanes. It is impossible
at this time to assign all the various trades accurately each to its own place —
in fact, they always overlapped ; but we can do so approximately. The names
of the streets belonging to Cheapside are a guide. For instance. Wood Street,
Milk Street, Honey Lane, Ironmonger Street, Old Jewry, the Poultry, Scalding
Alley, Soper Street, Bread Street, Friday Street, Old Change, explain a great part
of the disposition of the ancient market.
When we consider that twenty-five churches stood in or about the great
market, and that they were all presumably more ancient than the Conquest,
we may deduce the fact that the stalls very early became closed shops, and
in many cases permanent houses of residence, and that the market contained a
large resident population by which industries were carried on as well as shops.
With certain wares, such as milk, honey, wood, spices, mercery, salt-fish, poultry,
meat, and herbs, there was no other industry than that of receiving, packing,
and distributing. We therefore find few churches between Wood Street and
Ironmonger Lane, the chief seat of these branches ; while on the south side,
for the same reason, there are still fewer churches.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 3
The South Chepe was occupied by money-changers, salt-fish dealers, leather-
sellers, bakers, mercers, pepperers, and herb-sellers. Soap-makers were there also
at one time, but they were banished to another part of the City before the time of
Edward the Second. " Melters," i.e. of lard and tallow, were also forbidden to
carry on their evil-smelling trade in West Chepe so far back as 1203.
A brief study, therefore, enables us to understand, first, why the churches
stand thickly in one part and thinly in another ; next, that West Chepe was
a vast open market containing a resident population, crowded where industries
were carried on, and sparse where the goods were simply exposed for sale ; and,
thirdly, that the place could be easily converted into a tilting ground, as was
done on many occasions, by clearing away the "stationers," that is to say, the
people who held stalls or stations about the crosses in Cheapside. On one
occasion, at least, this was done, to the great indignation of the people.
There are certain places in the country, and on the Continent, where the
mediaeval market is still preserved in its most irnportant features. For instance,
there is the market-place of Peterborough, which is still divided by lanes, and
which has areas allotted to the different trades ; and that of Rheims, where the
ancient usages are preserved and followed, even to the appearance of Autolycus,
the Cheap Jack, and the Quack, who may be seen and heard on every market day.
We may take Stow's description of the Elizabethan Chepe :
"At the West end of this Poultrie, and also of Bucklesbury, beginneth the
large street of West Cheaping, a market place so called, which street stretcheth
west till ye come to the little conduit by Paule's gate, but not all of Cheape ward.
In the east part of this street standeth the great conduit of sweet water, conveyed
by pipes of lead underground from Paddington for the service of this city,
castellated with stone, and cisterned in lead, about the year 1285, and again new
built and enlarged by Thomas Ham, one of the sheriffs 1479.
"About the midst of this street is the Standard in Cheape, of what antiquity
the first foundation I have not read. But Henry VI., by his patent dated at
Windsor the 21st of his reign, which patent was confirmed by parliament 1442,
granted license to Thomas Knolles, John Chichele, and other, executors to
John Wells, grocer, sometime mayor of London, with his goods to make new
the highway which leadeth from the city of London towards the palace of
Westminster, before and nigh the manor of Savoy, parcel of the Duchy of
Lancaster, a way then very ruinous, and the pavement broken, to the hurt and
mischief of the subjects, which old pavement then remaining in that way within
the length of five hundred feet, and all the breadth of the same before and nigh
the site of the manor aforesaid, they to break up, and with stone, gravel, and other
stuff, one other good and sufficient way there to make for the commodity of the
subjects.
4 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
"And further, that the Standard in Cheape, where divers executions of the
law beforetime had been performed, which standard at the present was very
ruinous with age, in which there was a conduit, should be taken down, and another
competent standard of stone, together with a conduit in the same, of new, strongly
to be built, for the commodity and honour of the city, with the goods of the said
testator, without interruption, etc.
"Of executions at the Standard in Cheape, we read, that in the year 1293
three men had their right hands smitten off there, for rescuing of a prisoner arrested
by an officer of the city. In the year 1326, the burgesses of London caused Walter
Stapleton, Bishop of Exceter, treasurer to Edward II., and other, to be beheaded
at the standard in Cheape (but this was by Paule's gate); in the year 1351, the
26th of Edward III., two fishmongers were beheaded at the standard in Cheape,
but I read not of their offence; 1381, Wat Tyler beheaded Richard Lions and
other there. In the year 1399, Henry IV. caused the blank charters made by
Richard II. to be burnt there. In the year 1450, Jack Cade, captain of the
Kentish rebels, beheaded the Lord Say there. In the year 1461, John Davy had
his hand stricken off there, because he had stricken a man before the judges at
Westminster, etc.
" Then next is a great cross in West Cheape, which cross was there erected
in the year 1290 by Edward I. upon occasion thus :— Queen Elianor his wife died
at Hardeby (a town near unto the city of Lincoln), her body was brought from
thence to Westminster ; and the king, in memory of her, caused in every place
where her body rested by the way, a stately cross of stone to be erected, with the
queen's image and arms upon it, as at Grantham, Woborne, Northampton, Stony
Stratford, Dunstable, St. Albones, Waltham, West Cheape, and at Charing, from
whence she was conveyed to Westminster, and there buried.
" This cross in West Cheape being like to those other which remain to this
day, and being by length of time decayed, John Hatherle, mayor of London,
procured, in the year 1441, license of King Henry VI. to re-edify the same in more
beautiful manner for the honour of the city, and had license also to take up two
hundred fodder of lead for the building thereof of certain conduits, and a common
granary. This cross was then curiously wrought at the charges of divers citizens :
John Fisher, mercer, gave six hundred marks toward it ; the same was begun to be
set up 1484, and finished i486, the 2nd of Henry VII.
"In the year 1599, the timber of the cross at the top being rotted within the
lead, the arms thereof bending, were feared to have fallen to the harming of some
people, and therefore the whole body of the cross was scaffolded about, and the top
thereof taken down, meaning in place thereof to have set up a piramis ; but some
of her majesty's honourable councillors directed their letters to Sir Nicholas Mosley,
then mayor, by her highness' express commandment concerning the cross, forthwith
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 5
to be repaired, and placed again as it formerly stood, etc., notwithstanding the said
cross stood headless more than a year after. After this (1600) a cross of timber was
framed, set up, covered with lead, and gilded, the body of the cross downward
cleansed of dust, the scaffold carried thence. About twelve nights following, the
image of Our Lady -was again defaced, by plucking off her crown, and almost her
CHEArSIDE CROSS (AS IT AI'I'EARED ON US ERECTION IN 1606)
Frum an original Drawing in the Pepysian Library, Cambridge.
head, taking from her her naked child, and stabbing her in the breast, etc. Thus
much for the cross in West Cheape " (Stow's Survey, 1633, pp. 278-80).
The cross was the object of much abuse by the Puritans, who at last succeeded
in getting it pulled down. "On May 2nd, 1643, the Cross of-Cheapside was pulled
down. A troop of horse and two companies of foot waited to guard it ; and, at the
fall of the top cross, drums beat, trumpets blew, and multitudes of caps were thrown
6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
into the air. . . . And the same day, at night was the leaden popes ^ burnt in the
place where it stood, with ringing- of bells and a great acclamation " (Wilkinson's
Londina Illustrata).
To continue Stow's account :
" Then at the west end of West Cheape Street, was sometime a cross of stone,
called the Old Cross. Ralph Higden, in his Policronicon, saith, that Walter
Stapleton, Bishop of Exceter, treasurer to Edward II., was by the burgesses of
London beheaded at this cross called the Standard, without the north door of
St. Paul's church ; and so is it noted in other writers that then lived. This old
cross stood and remained at the east end of the parish church called St. Michael
in the Corne by Paule's gate, near to the north end of the old Exchange, till the
year 1390, the 13th of Richard II., in place of which old cross then taken down,
the said church of St. Michael was enlarged, and also a fair water conduit built
about the 9th of Henry VI.
" In the reign of Edward III., divers joustings were made in this street, betwixt
Sopers lane and the great cross, namely, one in the year 1331, the 21st of
September, as I find noted by divers writers of that time.
" In the middle of the city of London (say they), in a street called Cheape, the
stone pavement being covered with sand, that the horses might not slide when they
strongly set their feet to the ground, the king held a tournament three days together,
with the nobility, valiant men of the realm, and other some strange knights. And
to the end the beholders might with the better ease see the same, there was a
wooden scaffold erected across the street, like unto a tower, wherein Queen Philippa,
and many other ladies, richly attired, and assembled from all parts of the realm, did
stand to behold the jousts; but the higher frame, in which the ladies were placed,
brake in sunder, whereby they were with some shame forced to fall down, by reason
whereof the knights and such as were underneath, were grievously hurt ; wherefore
the queen took great care to save the carpenters from punishment, and through her
prayers (which she made upon her knees) pacified the king and council, and thereby
purchased great love of the people. After which time the king caused a shed to be
.strongly made of stone, for himself, the queen, and other estates to stand on, and
there to behold the joustings, and other shows, at their pleasure, by the church of
St. Mary Bow, as is showed in Cordwainer street ward " [Ibid.).
In 1754 Strype writes:
" Cheapside is a very stately spacious street, adorned with lofty buildings ; well
inhabited by Goldsmiths, Linen-Drapers, Haberdashers, and other great dealers.
The street, which is throughout of an equal breadth, begins westward at Paternoster
Row, and, in a straight line, runs to the Poultry, and from thence to the Royal
exchange in Cornhill. And, as this Street is yet esteemed the principal high street
' These were the leaden fi>;ures on the cross.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 7
in the City, so it was formerly graced with a great Conduit, a Standard, and a stately
Cross ; which last was pulled down in the Civil Wars. In the last Part, almost over-
against Mercers Chapel, stood a great Conduit ; but this Conduit, standing almost in
the Middle of the street, being incommodious for Coaches and Carts, was thought fit
by the Magistracy, after the great Fire, to be taken down, and built no more."
The great Conduit of Chepe, commenced in 1285, brought the water from
Paddington, a distance of 3^ miles. It stood opposite Mercers' Hall and Chapel.
It was a stone building long and low, battlemented, enclosing a leaden cistern. In
the year 1441 at the west end of Chepe and in the east end of the Church of
St. Michael le Querne, the smaller conduit was erected. Both conduits were
destroyed in the Great Fire — the larger one was not rebuilt. The Standard opposite
Honey Lane was in later years fitted with a water cock always running. At the
Standard many public executions took place (Strype, vol. i. p. 566).
Hardly any street of London is more frequently mentioned in annual documents
than Chepe. There are many ancient deeds of sale and conveyances still preserved
at the Guildhall, relating to property in Chepe. In the Calendar of Wills, houses,
etc., in Chepe are bequeathed in more than two hundred wills there quoted ; many
ordinances concerning Chepe are recorded in Riley's Memorials.
Stow has given some of the history of Chepe. His account may be supple-
mented by a few notes on other events and persons connected with the street.
The antiquity of the street is proved by the discovery of Roman coins, Roman
tesserae, Romano- British remains of various kinds, and Sa.xon jewels. It is not,
however, until the thirteenth century that we find historical events other than the
conveyance, etc., of land and tenements in Cheapside.
In the thirteenth century a part of Cheapside, if not the whole, was called the
Crown Field ; the part so called was probably confined to a space on the east of
Bow Church.
In the year 1232 we find the citizens mustering in arms at Mile End and "well
arrayed " in Chepe.
In 1269 it is recorded that the pillory in Chepe was broken, and so remained
for a whole year by the negligence of the bailiffs, so that nobody could be put in
pillory for that time. The bakers seized the opportunity for selling loaves of short
weight — even a third part short. But in 1270, on the F"east of St. Michael, the
sheriffs had a new pillory made and erected on the site of the old one. Then the
hearts of the bakers failed them for fear, and the weight of the loaves increased.
In 1273 the Mayor removed from Chepe all the stalls of the butchers and
fishmongers, together with the stalls which had been let and granted by the
preceding sheriffs, although the persons occupying them had taken them for life and
had paid large sums for their leases. This was a political move, the intention being
to deprive the stall-keepers of their votes. The Mayor, however, defended the
8 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
action on the ground that the King was about to visit the City, and that it behoved
him to clear the way of refuse and encumbrances.
In the year 1326 a letter was sent by the Queen and her son Edward calHng
upon the citizens of London to aid with all their power in destroying the enemies
of the land, and Hugh le Despenser in especial. Wherefore, when the head of
Hugh was carried in triumph through Chepe, with trumpets sounding, the citizens
rejoiced.
In October of the same year when the Bishop of Exeter, Walter de Stapleton,
was on his way to his house in " Elde Dean's Lane" to dine there, he was met by
the mob, dragged into Chepe with one of his esquires, and there beheaded.
Another of the Bishop's servants was beheaded in Chepe the same day.
On the birth of Edward III. on November 13, 131 2, the people of London
made great rejoicings, holding carols, i.e. dances and songs, in Chepe for a fortnight,
while the conduits ran wine.
In 1482 a grocer's shop in Cheapside with a "hall" over it — perhaps a ware-
house— was let for the rental of £i\ : 6 : 8 per annum. The owner of the shop was
Lord Howard, created Duke of Norfolk in 1483.
References to Cheapside multiply as we approach more modern times. In 1522,
when Charles V. came to England, lodgings were appointed for his retinue. Among
them was a house in Cheapside, a goldsmith's. It contained one parlour, one
kitchen, one chamber, and one bed. The murder of Dr. Lambe in 1631, the exe-
cution of William Hacket in 1591, the burning of the Solemn Covenant in 1661, —
these are incidents in the history of Cheapside. Many other events belonging
either to the history of the City or of the realm have been mentioned elsewhere.
In the sixteenth century one of the sights of London was the Goldsmiths' Row,
built in 1 49 1 on the site of certain shops and selds. Stow calls the Row "a most
beautiful frame of faire houses and shops consisting of ten faire dwellinghouses and
fourteen shops, all in one frame, builded foure stories high, beautified towards the
street with the Goldsmith's Arms and the likeness of woodmen, in memory of his
name, riding on monstrous beasts all richly painted and gilt." Maitland, who
certainly could not remember it, says that it was " beautiful to behold the glorious
appearance of the Goldsmith's shops in the South row of Cheapside, which in a
course reached from the Old Change of Bucklersbury exclusive of four shops only,
of three trades, in all that space."
Coming now to a description of Cheapside as it is at present, we find a statue of
Sir Robert Peel standing on a block of granite. The whole is more than 20 feet in
height. The statue was put up in 1S55, and on the pedestal is the inscription of
Peel's birth and death. On the north of Cheapside is a large stone block of building
in one uniform style with shops on the ground floor. This contains the Saddlers'
Hall, and in the middle is the great entrance way solidly carried out in stone.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY . 9
THE SADDLERS COMPANY
The date of the formation of the Company, and the circumstances under which it was founded, are un-
known. It existed at a very remote period. There is now preserved in the archives of the Collegiate Church
of Saint Martin's-le-Grand a parchment containing a letter from that foundation, in which reference is made
to the then ancient customs of the Guild. This document is believed to have been written about the time
of Henry II., Richard. I., or John, most probably in the first of these reigns. In this letter reference is
made to " Ernaldus, the Alderman of the Guild." This Ernaldus is stated by Mr. Alfred John Kempe,
in his work Historical Notices of the Collegiate Church of Saint Martin's-le-Grand, to have lived before the
Conquest, by which it may be inferred that the Company is. of Anglo-Saxon origin.
King Edward I., a.d. 1272, granted a charter. King Edward III., by his charter ist December, 37
Edward III., a.d. 1363, granted that as well in the City of London as in every other city, borough, or town
where the art of Saddlers is exercised, one or two honest and faithful men of the craft should be chosen and
appointed by the Saddlers there dwelling to superintend and survey the craft. This charter was exemplified
and confirmed by Henry VI., Henry VII., and Henry VIII.
Richard II., by charter 20th March, 18 Richard II., a.d. 1374, granted to the men of the mystery
of Saddlers of the City of London, that for the good government of the mystery they may have one
commonalty of themselves for ever, and that the men of the same mystery and commonalty may choose
and appoint every year four keepers of the men of the commonalty to survey, rule, and duly govern the
same. Furthermore, that the keepers and commonalty, and their successors, may purchase lands, to the
yearly value of twenty pounds, for the sustentation of the poor, old, weak and decayed persons of the
mystery, and this charter was exemplified, ratified, and confirmed by Edward IV.
Queen Elizabeth, by charter 9th November, i Elizabeth, a.d. 1558, exemplifies, ratifies, and confirms
the previous charters, and reincorporates the Company by the name of the wardens or keepers and
commonalty of the mystery or art of Saddlers of the City of London. The charter names and appoints
four wardens to hold office from the date of the charter until the 14th August then following, and
authorises them to keep within their common hall an assembly of the wardens or keepers or freemen of the
same mystery, or the greater part of them, or of the wardens, and of eight of the most ancient and worthy
freemen, being of the assistants of the mystery, and that the wardens and eight of the assistants at least
being present shall have full power to treat, consult, and agree upon the articles and ordinances touching
the mystery or art aforesaid, and the good rule, state, and government of the same. Power is given to
elect four wardens on the 14th August yearly. Power of giving two votes is given to the master at doubtful
elections. Powers are also given for the government and regulation of the trade.
This is one of the most ancient, as it is also one of the most interesting, of the City Companies.
Their original quarter was at St. Martin's-le-Grand. The saddle played an important part in every man's
life at a time when riding was the only method of travelling.
The saddlers were connected with the Church of St. Martin's-le-Grand and made some kind of
convention with the Canons, the nature of which is uncertain. Probably the Canons promised them their
aid in support of their rights and privileges, in return for which their religious gifts and fees were paid to
the Church of St. Martin. The mystery of saddlery, like all others, overlapped, and encroached upon,
other mysteries and crafts. Then there followed quarrels. Thus in 1307 (Riley, Memorials, p. 156) there
was an affray between the saddlers on one side and the loriners, joiners, and painters on the other, on
account of such encroachments. The quarrel was adjusted by the Mayor and Aldermen. Another trouble
to which so great a trade was liable, was the desire of the journeymen to break off into fraternities of their
own. This pretension was seriously taken in hand in 1796, and such fraternities were strictly forbidden.
The Company has had three halls, all on the same site. The first was burned in the Great Fire ;
the second in 1822 ; the present hall was built after the second fire, and is at No. 141 Cheapside.
At the corner of Wood Street is what remains of the churchyard of St. Peter's,
Westcheap, the building of which was destroyed in the Great Fire : a railed-in
lo SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
space, gravel covered and uninteresting, except for the magnificent plane-tree which
spreads its branches protectingly over the low roofs in front. On the walls of the
old houses near are fixed two monuments, and a little stone tablet rather high up,
with the inscription :
"Erected at the sole cost and charges of the Parish of St. Peter's, Westcheap, a.d. 1687,"
followed by the names of the churchwardens.
The Church of St. Peter, Westcheap, was also called SS. Peter and Paul. After the Great
Fire its parish was annexed to that of St. Matthew, Friday Street. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1302.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Abbot of St. Alban's before 1302. Henry VIII.
seized it and granted it in 1545 to the Earl of Southampton, in whose successors it continued up to 1666.
Houseling people in 1548 were 360.
A chantry was founded here at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Nicholas de Faringdon,
Mayor of London, 1313 and 1320, for himself and Rose his wife, to which Lawrence Bretham de
Faversham was admitted chaplain, October 24, 1361 ; the endowment fetched ^29 : 3 : 4 in 1548, when
Sir W. Alee was priest. There was another at the Altar of the. Holy Cross.
Sir John Munday, goldsmith. Mayor, was buried here in 1527; also Sir Alexander Avenon, Mayor
in 1569; and Augustine Hind, clothworker, Alderman, and Sheriff of London, who died in 1554.
The only charitable gifts recorded by Stow are : £,2 : 4 : 4, the gift of Sir Lionel Ducket ; 3s. 4d., the
gift of Lady Read; 7s. 5d., the gift of Mr. Walton.
John Gwynneth, Mus. Doc. and author, was rector here in 1545; also Richard Gwent, D.D., and
William Boleyn, Archdeacon of Winchester.
ST. MARY-LE-BOW
But the ornament of Cheapside is St. Mary-le-Bow, which derived its additional name from its
stone "bows " or arches. The date of its foundation is not known, but it appears to have been during or
before the reign of William the Conqueror. The court of the Archbishop of Canterbury was held here
before the Great Fire ; and though the connection between the church and the ecclesiastical courts has
ceased, it is still used for the confirmation of the election of bishops. The " Court of Arches " owes its
name to the fact that it was held in the beautiful Norman crypt which still survives. The church has
been made famous. Stow observes, as the scene of various calamities, of which he records details. In
1469 the Common Council ordained the ringing of Bow Bell every evening at nine o'clock, but the
practice had existed for already more than a century; in 15 15 the largest of the five bells w^as presented by
William Copland. The church was totally destroyed in 1666, as well as those of St. Pancras, Soper Lane
and AUhallows, Honey Lane ; the two last were not rebuilt, their parishes being annexed to St. Mary's.
Wren began building the present church in 1671 and completed it in 1680. The cost was greater than any
other of Wren's parish churches by ;^3ooo, ;^2o6o of which was contributed by Dame Williamson. The
steeple was repaired by Sir William Staines in the eighteenth century, and again in 1820 by Mr. George
Gwilt. In 1758, seven of the bells were recast, new ones were added, and the ten were first rung in
1762 in honour of George III.'s birthday; the full number now is twelve. In 1786 the parish of
AUhallows, Bread Street, was united with this.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 1242.
The patronage of the church has always been in the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his
successors, but Henry III. presented to it in 1242.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
The church measures 65 feet in length, 63 feet in breadth, and 38 feet in height ; it contains a nave
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY ii
and two side aisles. The great feature of the building is the steeple, which is the most elaborate of all
Wren's works and only exceeded in height by St. Bride's. It rises at the north-west end of the church
and measures 32 square feet at the base. The tower contains three storeys. The highest is surmounted
by a cornice and balustrade with finials and vases, and a circular dome supporting a cylinder, lantern, and
spire. The weather-vane is in the form of a dragon, the City emblem. The total height is 221 feet
9 inches. The Norman crypt already mentioned still remains, consisting of three aisles formed by
massive columns; it probably formed part of the building in William I.'s time.
Chantries were founded here :
By John Causton, to which John Steveyns was admitted chaplain, December 2, 1452; by John
Coventry, in the chapel of St. Nicholas; by Henry Frowycke, whose endowment fetched .;^i5 : los. in
1548; by John de Holleghe, whose endowment produced ^7 in 1548; by Dame Eleanor, Prioress of
Winchester, whose endowment yielded £4 in 1548.
The original church does not appear to have contained many monuments of note. Among the civic
dignitaries buried here was Nicholas Alwine, Lord Mayor in 1499, whose name is familiar to readers of
TAe Last of the Barons.
Sir John Coventry, Mayor in 1425, was also buried here.
There is a tablet fixed over the vestry-room door, commemorating Dame Dionis Williamson, who
gave ;^2ooo towards the building of the church. On the west wall a sarcophagus commemorates Bishop
Newton, rector, who won celebrity by his edition of Milton first published in 1749.
The parish possessed a considerable number of charities and gifts :
George Palin was donor of ^100, to be devoted to the maintenance of a weekly lecture.
Mr. Banton, of ..^50 for the same purpose. There were others, to the total amount of_^6o.
There was one Charity School belonging to Cordwainer and Bread Street Wards for fifty boys and
thirty girls, who were put to employments and trades when fit.
The following are among the notable rectors :
Martin Fotherby {d. 1619), Bishop of Salisbury; Samuel Bradford (1652-1731), Bishop of
Gloucester; Samuel Lisle (1683-1749), Bishop of Norwich; Nicholas Felton (1556-1626), Bishop of
Bristol; Thomas Newton (1704-1782), Bishop of Bristol; and William Van Alildert (1765-1S36), Bishop
of Llandaff, and later the last Prince-Bishop of Durham.
Quaint sayings and traditions have gathered more thickly about St. Mary's
than about any of the City churches. Dick Whittington's story has made the
name familiar to every British child ; while to be born "within sound of Bow Bells"
is more dignified than to own oneself a Cockney. In sooth-saying we have the
prophecy of Mother Shipton that when the Grasshopper on the Exchange and the
Dragon on Bow Church should meet, the streets should be deluged with blood.
They did so meet, being sent to the same yard for repair at the same time, but
the prophecy was not fulfilled.
The ringing of the Bow bells in the Middle Ages signified closing-time for
shops, and the ringer incurred the wrath of the apprentices of Chepe if he failed
to be punctual to the second.
We now proceed to the Poultry.
Stow thus describes the place :
" Now to begin again on the bank of the said Walbrooke, at the east end of
the high street called the Poultrie, on the north side thereof, is the proper parish
church of St. Mildred, which church was new built upon Walbrooke in the year
12 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
1457. John Saxton their parson gave thirty-two pounds towards the building of
the new choir, which now standeth upon the course of Walbrooke."
Strype says of it :
" The Poultry, a good large and broad Street, and a very great thoroughfare
for Coaches, Carts, and foot-passengers, being seated in the Heart of the City,
and leading to and from the Royal Exchange ; and from thence to Fleet Street,
the Strand, Westminster, and the western parts : and therefore so well inhabited
by great tradesmen. It begins in the West, by the old Jewry, where Cheapside
ends, and reaches the Stocks market by Cornhill. On the North side is Scalding
Alley ; a large place, containing two or three Alleys, and a square Court with good
buildings, and well inhabited ; but the greatest part is in Bread Street Ward, where
it is mentioned."
Roman knives and weapons have been found in the Poultry. The valley
of the Walbrook, 130 feet in width, began its slope here. Nearly opposite Princes
Street, a modern street, there was anciently a bridge over the stream. We find
in the thirteenth century an inquest held here over the body of one Agnes
de Golden Lane, who was found starved to death, a rare circumstance at that
time, and only possible, one would think, considering the charity of the monastic
houses, in the case of a bedridden person forgotten or deserted by her own people.
In the fourteenth century there are various bequests of shops and tenements in
the Poultry. In the fifteenth century we find that there was a brewery here,
near the Compter; how did the brewer get his water? In the same century the
Compter — which was one of the two sheriffs' prisons — seems to belong to one
Walter Hunt, a grocer. In the sixteenth century one of the rioters of 1517 was
hanged in the Poultry ; there was trouble about the pavements and complaints
were made of obstructions by butchers, poulterers, and the ancestors of the modern
coster, who sold things from barrows, stopping up the road and refusing to move
on. Before the Fire there were many taverns in the Poultry ; some of them had
the signs which have been found belonging to the Poultry.
The later associations of the place have been detailed by Cunningham :
"Lubbock's Banking-house is leased of the Goldsmiths, being part of Sir
Martin Bowes's bequest to the Company in Queen Elizabeth's time. The King's
Head Tavern, No. 25, was kept in Charles II.'s time by William King. His wife
happening to be in labour on the day of the King's restoration, was anxious to see
the returning monarch, and Charles, in passing through Poultry, was told of her
inclination, and stopped at the tavern to salute her. No. 22 was Dilly, the
bookseller's. Here Dr. Johnson met John Wilkes at dinner ; and here Boswell's
life of Johnson was first published. Dilly sold his business to Mawman. No. 31
was the shop of Vernor and Hood, booksellers. Hood of this firm was father of
the facetious Tom Hood, and here Tom was born in 1798 " [Hand-book 0/ London).
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 13
Here is a little story. It happened in 131 8. One John de Caxtone, furbisher
by trade, going along the Poultry — one charitably hopes that he was in liquor — met
a certain valet of the Dean of Arches who was carrying a sword under his arm,
thinking no evil. Thereupon John assaulted him, apparently without provocation,
and drawing out the sword, wounded the said valet with his own weapon. This
done, he refused to surrender to the Mayor's sergeant, nor would he give himself
up till the Mayor himself appeared on the spot. We see the crowd — all the butchers
in the Poultry collected together : on the ground lies the wounded valet, bleeding,
beside him is the sword, the assailant blusters and swears that he will not surrender,
the Mayor's sergeant remonstrates, the crowd increases, then the Mayor himself
appears followed by other sergeants, a lane is made, and at sight of that authority
the man gives in. The sergeants march him off to Newgate, the crowd disperses,
the butchers go back to their stalls, the women to their baskets, the costers to their
barrows. For five days the offender cools his heels at Newgate. Then he is
brought before the Mayor. He throws himself on the mercy of the judge, sureties
are found for him that he will keep the peace, and he consents to compensate
the wounded man.
For Stocks Market, St. Mary Woolchurch Haw, on the site of which the Mansion
House stands, and the vicinity, formerly included in the Poultry, see Group HI.
At the east end of the Poultry is Grocers' Alley, formerly Conyhope Lane,
of which Stow says :
"Then is Conyhope Lane, of old time so called of such a sign of three conies
hanging over a poulterer's stall at the lane's end. Within this lane standeth the
Grocers' hall, which company being of old time called Pepperers, were first
incorporated by the name of Grocers in the year 1345." The Grocers' Hall really
opens into Princes Street.
THE GROCERS COMPANY
The Company's records begin partly in Norman-French, partly in Old English, as follows : " To the
honour of God, the Virgin Mary, St. Anthony and All Saints, the 9th day of May 1345, a Fraternity was
founded of the Company of Pejjperers of Soper's Lane for love and unity to maintain and keep themselves
together, of which Fraternity are sundry beginners, founders, and donors to preserve the said Fraternity."
(Here follow twenty-two names.)
The same twenty-two persons "accorded to be together at a dinner in the Abbot's Place of Bury
on the 1 2th of June following, and then were chosen two the first Wardens that ever were of our Fraternity,"
and certain ordinances were agreed to by assent among the Fraternity, i)roviding that no person should be
of the Fraternity " if not of good condition and of this craft, that is to say, a Pepperer of Soper's Lane
or a Spicer in the ward of Cheap, or other people of their mystery, wherever they reside " ; for contributions
among the members, for the purposes of the Fraternity, including the maintenance of a priest ; the
wearing of a livery ; arbitration by the Wardens upon disputes between members ; attendance at Mass
at the Monastery of St. Anthony on St. Anthony's Day, and at a feast on that day or within tlie octave, at
which feast the Wardens should come with chaplets and choose and crown two other Wardens for the
year ensuing ; attendance at the funerals of members ; the taking of apprentices ; assistance of unfortunate
14 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
members out of the common stock ; and that " any of the Fraternity may according to his circumstance and
free will devise what he chooses to the common box for the better supporting the Fraternity and their alms."
From external evidence it appears that for two centuries at least before 1345 there had existed a
Guild of Pepperers, who had superseded the Soapers in Soper's Lane, and probably absorbed them. The
twenty-two Pepperers, who in 1345 founded the social, benevolent, and religious fraternity of St. Anthony,
were of "good condition," probably the most influential and wealthy men in the Pepperers' guild; in
founding the new brotherhood " for greater love and unity " and " to maintain and assist one another,"
they did not desert their old guild, but formed a new fraternity within it. They did not seek, apparendy,
to alter the institution of the Guild of Pepperers, nor did they adopt a distinctive title for themselves ;
but the movement was obviously an important one, and attracted notice and jealousy, which was perhaps
increased by the foreign connections of some of the members. So rapidly did the Company gain favour
and strength that in 1383, not forty years after its foundation, there were one hundred and twenty-nine
liverymen of whom not less than sixteen were Aldermen. At that time, no doubt, the Company exercised
a preponderating influence in the City of London.
The new brotherhood was styled the Fraternity of St. Anthony from 1348 to 1357. After this year
there is an hiatus in the Company's records, and when these recommence in 1373 the title is "company"
or "fraternity" of "gossers," "grosers," "groscers," or "grocers."
The origin of the term " grocer " and its application to the Company are involved in considerable
obscurity. As far as can be ascertained, the first use of the word, officially, is against the Company from
without, and in an aspect of reproach. It occurs in a petition to the King and Parliament in 1363,
against the new fraternity that " les Marchantz nomez Grossers engrossent toutes maneres de marchandises
vendables."
It is by no means improbable that the term, first suggested by less successful rivals in trade, was
adopted by the leading dealers "en gros " for the name of the company, which formed round the
Fraternity of St. Anthony, and probably absorbed the whole Guild of Pepperers.
From this time forward the Company began to act w^ith energy in the interests of trade. In 1394 we
find them, together with some Italian merchants, presenting a petition to the Corporation complaining of
the unjust mode of "garbling," i.e. cleansing or purifying spices and other " sotill wares." The petition
was entertained, and the Company were requested to recommend a member of their own body to fill the
office, and on their nomination Thomas Halfmark was chosen and sworn garbeller of "spices and
sotill ware."
The fraternity, after holding their meetings for three years at the Abbot of Bury's, assembled in 1348
at Fulsham's house at the Rynged Hall, in St. Thomas Apostle, close to St. Anthony's Church in Budge
Row, Watling Street, where they at this time obtained permission to erect a chantry, etc., and called
themselves the Fraternity of St. Anthony. They ultimately collected at Bucklersbury (" Bokerellesbury "),
at the Cornet's Tower, which had been used by Edward III. at the beginning of his reign as his exchange
of money and exchequer. Here the Company began to exercise the functions entrusted to them of
superintending the public weighing of merchandise.
In 141 1 a descendant of Lord FitzWalter, who, in the reign of Henry III., had obtained possession
of the chapel of St. Edmund which adjoined his family mansion, sold the chapel to the Company for 320
marks, and in the next reign the Company purchased the family mansion and built their Hall upon the
site. The foundation stone was laid in 1427 and the building was completed in the following year.
The expenses were defrayed by the contributions of members. Five years later the garden was added.
In 1428 the Company's first charter of incorporation was granted by King Henry VI., and they
became a body politic by the name of " Custodes et Communitas Mysterii Groceriae Londini." Nineteen
years later the same king granted to the Company the exclusive right of garbling throughout all places
in the kingdom of England, except the City of London.
In 1453 the Company, having the charge and management of the public scale or King's Beam,
made a regular tariff of charges. It appears that to John Churchman, grocer, who served the office of
sheriff in 1385, the trade of London is indebted for the establishment of the first Custom House.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 15
Churchman, in the sixth year of Richard II., built a house on Woolwharf Key, in 'I'ower Street Ward,
for the tronage or weighing of wools in the port of London, and a grant of the right of tronage was made
by the King to Churchman for life. It is probable that Churchman, being unable of himself to manage so
considerable a concern as the public scale, obtained the assistance of his Company, and thus the
management of the weigh-house and the appointment of the officers belonging to it came into the hands of
the Grocers Company.
Henry VIII. granted to the City of London the Beam with all appurtenances, and directed its
management to be committed to some expert in weights. The City thereupon gave the management to
the Company, only requiring one-third of the profits. The Company enjoyed, uninterruptedly, these
privileges up to 1625, when a dispute arose with the City, and an agreement was made whereby the
Company were to appoint four under-porters, and present four candidates for Master Porter, the Lord
Mayor to choose one of them. Several disputes followed with the Corporation, who in 1 700 ejected the
officers appointed by the Company, and tried their right at law. No result is reported, but the Company
filled up vacancies after that date, and up to 1797, when a Bill was passed for making Wet Docks at
Wapping, and this appears to have had the effect of depriving the Company of their privileges.
The Company throughout this period kept, in common with others, a store of corn, according to
ancient custom, for the supply of the poor at reasonable prices when bread was dear.
The Company was also bound to maintain an armoury at their Hall.
At the time of the Great Plague in 1665 the Company were assessed in various sums of money for
the relief of the poor, and they also provided a large quantity of coals.
The ne.xt year the Great Fire of London inflicted losses on the Company from which it did not
recover for nearly a century. The Company's Hall and all the adjacent buildings (save the turret in the
garden, which fortunately contained the records and muniments of the Company) and almost nil the
Company's houses were destroyed. The silver recovered from the ruins of the Hall was remelted and
produced nearly 200 lbs. weight of metal ; this was sold for the Company's urgent present necessities. In
1668 Sir John Cutler came forward and proposed to rebuild the parlour and dining-room at his own
charge. In the same year ninety-four members were added to the Livery. The next year a petition was
presented to Parliament praying for leave to bring in a Bill to raise ^1^20,000 by an equal assessment upon
the members of the Company of ability. The application to Parliament failed, and an effort was then
made to raise the ^20,000 among the members, but only ^6000 was subscribed.
In January 1671 a Special Court was summoned to consider a Bill exhibited in Parliament by some
of the Company's creditors, praying for an Act for the sale of the Company's Hall, lands, and estates to
satisfy debts ; and to make members of the Court liable for debts incurred. A Committee was appointed
and in 1672 the Hall was, at the instance of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, sequestered, and the
Company ejected till 1679, when, after great difficulties and impediments, money was borrowed to pay off
the debts and get rid of the intruders. In 1680 the Court of Assistants agreed that the most effectual way
of regaining public confidence was to rebuild the Hall.
In order to prevent a second sequestration an Inquisition was taken in 1680 before Commissioners
for Charitable Uses, and, pursuant to a decree made by those Commissioners, a period of twenty years
was allowed to the Company to discharge their debts. The next year, to secure an accession of influence
and talent for the support of the Company, sixty-five members were added to the Court, and a number of
Freemen were summoned, and eighty-one members added to the Livery.
In 1683 the Company arranged, by arbitration, their difficulties with the Governors of Christ's
Hospital, and their prospects appeared more hopeful when the celebrated Writ of Quo Warranto was
issued by King Charles II. against the City charters and lil)erties. The Company, with the view of
propitiating the King, by deed under seal, voluntarily surrendered the powers, franchises, privileges,
liberties, and authorities granted or to be used or exercised by the Wardens and Commonalty, and the
right of electing and nominating to the several offices of Wardens, Assistants, and Clerk of the Company,
and besought his Majesty to accept their surrender. Charles II. obtained judgment upon the Quo
Warranto against the City, and all the redress that the Company could obtain was the grant of another
i6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
charter under such restrictions as the King should think fit. His successor, Jarnes II., with a view to
secure the goodwill and support of the City, sent for the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and voluntarily
declared his determination to restore the City charters and liberties as they existed before the issuing of
the Writ of Quo Warranto; and subsequently Judge Jeffreys came to Guildhall and delivered the charters
with two grants of restoration to the Court of Aldermen.
The history of the Company during the eighteenth century is an account of pecuniary difficulties
and the gradual extrication by the public spirit and foresight of the members.
As regards the profession or trade of the members, a return exists of the whole numbers for the
year 1795 when the Court contained 32, the livery numbered 81, and the freemen 228. Of these,
40 were Grocers.
The number of the Livery returned in 1898 was 183. The Corporate Income was ^37,500;
the Trust Income was ^^500.
The advantages of being a member of the Company are as follows :
(i) Freemen are entitled to apply on behalf of their children for the Company's presentations (six in
number) to Christ's Hospital ; for the Company's Scholarships for free education at the City of London
School. The orphan children of freemen are alone eligible for the three presentations to the London
Orphan Asylum.
Freemen are entitled to take apprentices.
Freemen, and widows and daughters of freemen, in needy circumstances may apply for relief, either
temporary or permanent. Loans to freemen are practically abolished.
(2) Twelve months after a liveryman has been elected he is entitled, provided he live within twenty-
five miles of the polling place, Guildhall, to be put upon the Register of Voters for the City, which entitles
him to a vote at the election of Members of Parliament for the City ; a liveryman is also entitled to vote
at the election of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London. The livery receive invitations from the
Master and Wardens to the four public dinners in the months of November, February, May, and July, in
each year, and at every fifth dinner an invitation for a friend as well.
In some years when the honorary freedom of the Company is bestowed on distinguished personages,
there is an extra public dinner to which the livery are invited. At the public dinner in May, called the
Restoration Feast, a box of sweetmeats is presented to every guest. Liverymen, and the widows and
daughters of liverymen in needy circumstances may apply for relief, either temporary or permanent.
The Hall of the Company has always occupied the same site since the first erection in 1427, when
the Wardens bought part of the demesne of Lord FitzWalter in Conyhope Lane.
This building perished in the Great Fire of 1666. A new hall was built, but in 1798- 1802 this
building was pulled down and rebuilt. Alterations and additions were made in 1827, when the present
entrance into Princes Street was constructed. There were formerly three ways of access to the hall — one
from the Old Jewry; one by the lane called Grocers' Alley; and one by Scalding Lane from St. Mildred,
Poultry, of which a scrap of the churchyard still remains. The two lanes opened on a small Place on the
north side of which was Grocers' Hall and on the south side the Poultry Compter.
The hall destroyed in 1666 would have become by this time historical as the place to which the
Houses removed from Westminster in 1642 after the attempt to seize the five members on 4th January of
that year. The Committee appointed by both Houses met first at Guildhall and adjourned to Grocers'
Hall to "treat of the safety of the Kingdoms of England and Ireland." It was in this hall that the City
entertained the Houses, June 17, 1645, in the midst of the Civil War, and on June 7, 1649, when the
Civil War was over. For forty years, 1694-1734, the Grocers' Hall was rented and occupied by the
Governors and Company of the Bank of England.
The Company numbered among its members Charles II., James II., William III., the Earl of
Chatham, William Pitt, George Canning, and many others.
In the eighteenth century, the "Lane" was chiefly occupied by houses called
spunging houses ; here persons were confined by the sergeants belonging to the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 17
Poultry Compter, so that they might come to some compromise with their creditors,
and not be taken into prison. Hawkesworth, essayist and man of letters, was
originally clerk to an attorney in this court. Boyse, the ragged poet, was confined
in one of the spunging houses. Here he wrote the Latin letter to Cave :
Inscription for St. Lazarus's Cave.
Hodie, teste coelo summo,
Sine pane, sine nunimo ;
Sorte positus infeste,
Scribo tibi dolens moeste.
Fame, bile, tumet jecur :
Urbane, mitte opem, precor,
Tibi enim cor humanum
Non a malis alienum :
Mihi mens nee male grato,
Pro a te favore dato. — Alceus.
Ex gehenna debitoria,
Vulgo domo spongiatoria.
The Alley led to an open court. In this open place in 1688 a cart-load of
seditious books was burned.
The east side of the Place is at present occupied by one wall of the Gresham
Life Assurance Society, a magnificent building facing Poultry. It has finely
proportioned polished granite columns with Corinthian capitals adding strength to
the frontage, and a balcony with parapet running horizontally across the front. This
was rebuilt in 1879. It stands on the site of St. Mildred, Poultry.
The Church of St. Mildred, Poultry, was situated on the north side of the Pouhry. It was
rebuilt in 1456, and, after being destroyed by the Great Fire, again rebuilt in 1676, when the parish of
St. Mary Colechurch was annexed. In 1872 it was taken down, and the parish joined to St. Olave,
Jewry. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1247. The patronage of the church was in the hands of the
Prior and Convent of St. Mary Overy, Southwark, 1325 ; Henry VIII., 1541, and so continued in the Crown.
Houseling people in 1548 were 277.
Chantries were founded here by Solomon Lanfare or Le Boteler, citizen and cutler, at the Altar of
Blessed Virgin Mary, to which Wm. de Farnbergh was admitted chaplain, October 4, 1337 ; by Hugh Game,
poulterer, who endowed it with rents, which fetched ;^io in 1548, when John Mobe was priest; by
John Brown, for himself, his wife, Margaret his daughter, and Giles Walden, etc., to which John de
Cotyngham was admitted chaplain, April 6, 1366. One John Mymmes had licence from Richard II. to
found the Guild of Fraternity of Corpus Christi here; the endowment fetched .;^io:8;8 in 1548, when
John Wotton was priest thereof. Here was a " Little Chapell " valued at 60s. in 1548.
Thomas Ashehill was buried here; he gave great help in rebuilding the church about 1450; also
Thomas Morstead, chirurgeon to Henry IV., V., and VI., and one of the sheriffs of London. In more
recent times, Wm. Cronne was commemorated ; he was a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the College
of Physicians, and died in 1706.
A great number of benefactors are recorded by Stow, of which the most notable are : William
Watson, of ;i{^ioo, whereof ;!^65 was received ; William Tudman, of ..^247 in all, for various charities ;
Sarah Tudman, of .;^8o; Lady Elizabeth Allington, ^200, towards rebuilding.
One free school is recorded, called Mercers' School (Stow).
2
i8
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
John Williams (d. 1709), Bishop of Chichester, 1696, was rector here ; also Benjamin Newcome, D.D.,
Dean of Rochester.
On the east side of Grocers' Hall Court stood the Poultry Compter.
Strype describes the place and its government.
ST. MILDRED, POULTRY
" Somewhat west to this Church is the Poultry Compter, being the Prison
belonging to one of the Sheriffs of London, for all such as are arrested within the
City and liberties thereof And, besides this Prison, there is another of the same
Nature in Wood Street for the other Sheriff; both being of the same nature, and
have the like officers for the Execution of the concerns belonging thereunto, as
shall be here taken notice of So that w'hat is said here for Poultry Compter,
belongs also to Wood Street Compter.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
19
" The Charge of those prisons is committed to the Sheriffs.
" Unto each Compter also belongs a Master Keeper ; and under him two
Turnkeys, and other servitors.
" The poorer sort of prisoners, as well in this Compter, as in that in Wood
INSlDli THE POULTRY COMPTER
Street, receive daily relief from the sheriff's table, of all the broken meat and bread.
And there are divers gifts given by several well disposed people, towards their
subsistence. Besides which, there are other benevolences frequently sent to all
the prisons by charitable persons ; many of which do conceal their names, doing it
only for charity sake. And there are other gifts, some for the releasement of such
20 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
as "lie in only for prison fees ; and others, for the release of such, whose debts amount
not to above such or such a sum " (Strype, vol. i. p. 567).
This was the only prison in London with a ward set apart for Jews. " Here
died Lamb, the conjuror (commonly called Dr. Lamb), of the injuries he had received
from the mob, who pelted him (June 13, 162S), from Moorgate to the Windmill in the
Old Jewry, where he was felled to the ground with a stone, and was thence carried
to the Poultry Compter, where he died the same night. The rabble believed that
the doctor dealt with the devil, and assisted the Duke of Buckingham in misleading
the king. The last slave imprisoned in England was confined (1772) in the Poultry
Compter. This was Somerset, a negro, the particulars of whose case excited Sharpe
and Clarkson in their useful and successful labour in the cause of negro emancipa-
tion " (Cunningham's Hand-book of London).
When Whitecross Street Prison (1815-1870) was erected, the prisoners were
removed there from the Poultry, and the site of the Compter was built upon partly
by a Congregational Chapel, the congregation of which removed to the Holborn
Viaduct when the City Temple was built.
The prison was burned down in the Fire, whereupon the prisoners were taken
to Aldgate until it was rebuilt. It was an ill-kept, unventilated, noisome place.
It is worthy of note that the earliest bequest to the Compter mentioned in
the Calendar of Wills belongs to the fifteenth century, and that most of the
legacies to the prisoners were made after the Reformation and in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth. In some of them we find mention of the " Hole " and of the
"Twopenny Ward. "
In 1378 there was an altercation between the Mayor and one of the sheriffs.
Allusion is made to that sheriff's "own compter" in Milk Street, which may be
taken for that of Wood Street, as the Compter lay between the two, though it stood
in Bread Street until the year 1555. In the year 1382 a sumptuary law was issued
restricting the dress of women of loose life, and those who offended were to be
taken to one of the Compters. In 1388 we find the porter of a Compter insulting
Adam Bamme, alderman, for which he was removed from his office. We find
also a householder taken to the Compter for refusing to pay his rates and abusing
the collector. In 1413, an old man named John Arkwythe, a scrivener, was
summoned by Alderman Sevenoke for allowing the escape of a certain priest caught
in adultery in St. Bride's Church. John Arkwythe lost his temper, clutched the
Alderman by the breast and threatened him. They sent him to Newgate, but,
considering his age, they let him go, only depriving him of the freedom of the City.
In 141 8, one William Foucher, for contempt of Court, was sent to solitary imprison-
ment in the Compter, and prohibited from speaking to any one except those
who should counsel him repentance and amendment.
From these cases it would appear that the Compters were used partly as
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 21
houses of detention before trial, and that trial was frequently deferred in order
that the offender might endure a term of imprisonment in addition to the pillory,
or the release on finding security, which would follow.
West of Grocers' Alley is the Old Jewry, one of the most interesting places
in the whole of London on account of its having been the Ghetto, though not
a place of humiliation, for the Jews of London. When they came to London
they received this quarter for their residence ; why this place, so central, so
convenient for the despatch of business, was assigned to them, no one has been
able to discover. In the learned work of Mr. Joseph Jacobs {The Jews of Angevin
England) he shows that Jews were in Oxford and Cambridge as well as in London
in the time of the Normans.
The older name of the street was Colechurch Street. In the Receipts and
Perquisites of the Tower from the Jews of London are found the following :
For two pounds found in the Jewry for forfeit ..... 60s.
[The sense of this entry is doubtful. Perhaps the two pounds were forfeited
and 60 is wrongly transcribed for 40 (Lx. for xl.).] (Guildhall MS. 129, vol. ii.
p. 95«.)
From a certain Christian woman found in the Jewry for the purpose of
making an exchange. She fled and threw away the money
From a certain goldsmith fighting in the Jewry, of a fine
From Nicholas, the convert, goldsmith of London, for his boys fighting
in the Jewry .........
From a certain Christian found in the Jewry by night
From a certain boy coming into the Jewry .....
From John of Lincoln because he was found in the Jewry by night
From a certain Christian wom.in in the Jewry by night
It thus appears that the Jewry was walled in with gates. Had it been a
simple street, a thoroughfare, there could have been no obj'ection to any one passing
through. As for the teaching of the Church respecting Jews, these extracts from
Mr. Jacob's book will show the hatred which was inculcated towards them.
"If any Christian woman takes gifts from the infidel Jews or of her own
will commits sin with them, let her be separated from the church a whole year
and live in much tribulation, a'nd then let her repent for nine years. But if with
a pagan let her repent seven years.
" If any Christian accepts from the infidel Jews their unleavened cakes or
any other meat or drink and share in their impietie?, he shall do penance with
bread and water for forty days ; because it is written ' to the pure all things
are pure.'
" It is allowable to celebrate mass in a church where faithful and pious ones
have been buried. But if infidels or heretics or faithless Jews be buried, it is
IOCS. {Ibid. p.
97).
2 IS. {Ibid. p.
96).
IOCS. (//'/(/. p.
97)-
7s. I lid. {Ibid. p.
97).
66s. 8d. {Ibid. p.
97).
£6 {Ibid. p.
97).
iSs. {Ibid. p.
97).
22 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
not allowed to sanctify or celebrate mass ; but if it seem suitable for consecration,
tearing thence the bodies or scraping or washing the walls, let it be consecrated
if it has not been so previously."
The earliest mention of the Jews occurs in the Te7'rie7' of St. Paul's, 1 1 15 :
"In the ward of Haco ... in the Jew's street (.-* Old Jewry) the land of
Lusbert, in the front on the west side, is 32 feet in breadth. Towards St. Olave's
is fourscore and fifteen feet ; again towards St. Olave's is 65 feet, and in the
front 13 feet. The land in the front is 73 feet, and in depth 41 feet, and pays los."
In 1264, and again in 1267, the popular hatred of the Jews broke out with
unmistakable violence. They fled to the Tower, while the mob destroyed and
sacked their buildings.
In 1290 they were banished.
Their synagogue, which stood in the north-east corner of the present street, was
given to the Fratres de Sacca (see Medmval London, vol. ii. p. 365), and on their
dissolution it was ceded to Robert FitzWalter and converted into a merchant's
residence. Here lived and died Robert Large to whom Caxton was apprenticed.
The later history of the street may be quoted from Cunningham :
"The last turning but two on the east side (walking towards Cateaton Street)
was called Windmill Court, from the Windmill Tavern, mentioned in the curious
inventory of ' Innes for Horses seen and viewed,' preparatory to the visit of
Charles V. of Spain to Henry VIII., in the year 1522. 'From the Windmill,' in
the old Jewry, Master Wellbred writes to Master Knowell, in Ben Jonson's play of
Every Man in his Hutnour. Kitely, in the same play, was a merchant in the Old
Jewry. The house or palace of Sir Robert Clayton (of the time of Charles II.), on
the east side, was long a magnificent example of a merchant's residence, containing
a superb banquetting-room, wainscotted with cedar, and adorned with battles of gods
and giants. Here the London Institution was first lodged; and here, in the rooms
he occupied as librarian, Professor Porson died (1808). Dr. James Foster, Pope's
'modest Foster' —
Let modest Foster, if he will, excel
Ten Metropolitans in preaching well —
was a preacher in the Old Jewry for more than twenty years. He first became
popular from Lord Chancellor Hardwicke stopping in the porch of his chapel in the
Old Jewry, to escape from a shower of rain. Thinking he might as well hear what
was going on, he went in, and was so well pleased that he sent all his great
acquaintances to hear Foster."
Alexander Brown, the cavalier song-writer, was an attorney in the Lord Mayor's
Court in this street, and Bancroft, who built the almshouses of Mile End, was an
officer in the court. Sir Jeffrey Bullen, Lord Mayor, 1457, lived in this street, where
he was a mercer.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 23
In the fifteenth century there was standing in Old Jewry, north of St. Olave's
Church, and extending to the north end of Ironmonger Lane and down the lane as
far as St. Martin's Church, a large building of stone "very ancient," the history and
purpose of which were unknown e.xcept that Henry VI. appointed one John Stert,
keeper of the place, which he called his principal palace in the Old Jewry. It was
standing when Stow was a boy, but he says the outward stone-work was little by
little taken down, and houses built upon the site. It was known as the Old
Wardrobe. I know of no other reference to this place, but one would like to
learn more. The taking away of the stone " litde by little" accounts in like
manner for the gradual disappearance of the ruins of the monastic houses.
The modern street is not of much interest. The City Police Office is in a court
of some size near the north end. The Old King's Head is in an elaborate building
faced with red sandstone, and a grimy blackened old brick house close by contains
the Italian Consulate.
In Frederick Place are two rows of Georgian houses in dull brick, varying only
slightly in detail. The iron link-holders of a past fashion still survive on the railings
before some of the houses. No. 8, at the south-eastern corner, contains some curious
and interesting mantels. One of these has a central panel representing a boar hunt ;
this is in relief enclosed in a large oval. There are fine details also in other
fireplaces in the house.
But these are not the only objects of interest in Frederick Place, for in exactly
the opposite corner, the north-west, in a house numbered 4, are one or two fireplaces
which surpass these in beauty if not in quaintness. In one of the rooms there is a
very high and well-proportioned white marble mantelpiece, with singularly little
decoration, which is yet most effective. All these houses are now used as offices by
business men, and the evidences of bygone domestic occupation add a human
interest to the daily routine.
St. Mary Colechurch was situated in the Poultry at the south-west corner of the Old Jewry.
It was burnt down in the Great Fire, and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of St. Mildred,
Poultry. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1252.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of Henry III., who presented to it one Roger de
Messendene, April 21, 1252; then the Master and Brethren of St. Thomas de Aeon; afterwards
Henry VIII., who granted it to the Mercer's Company, April 21, 1542.
Houseling people in 1548 were 220.
Chantries were founded here by Thomas de Cavendish, late citizen and mercer, at the Altar of
St. Katherine, to which Roger de Elton was instituted chaplain, March 15, 1362-63; Agnes Fenne, who
left by Will, dated March 28, 1541, ^£^140 to maintain a priest for twenty years; Henry I\^ granted a
licence to William Marechalcap and others to found a Fraternity in honour of St. Katherine, February 19,
1399-1400; a further licence was granted by Henry VI., June 19, 1447, the endowment of which fetched
;^9 in 1548, when Robert Evans was Chaplain.
No monuments are recorded by Stow. In this church St. Thomas ;\ Becket and St. Edmund were
baptized. The parish had one gift-sermon, but no other gifts or legacies are recorded.
Thomas Horton (d. 1673), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, 1649, was a rector here.
24 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The Church of St. Olave, Jewry, stood on the west side, near the middle of Old Jewry, and
was sometimes called St. Olave, Upwell. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt in 1673. It
was subsequently taken down. The tower, which alone was left, is now part of a dwelling-house. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1252.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who granted it
in 1 171 to the Prior and Convent of Butley, Suffolk, when it became a vicarage. Henry VIII. seized it,
and so it continues in the Crown.
Houseling people in 1548 were 198.
The open space, belonging to the ancient graveyard, abuts on Ironmonger Lane.
A chantry was founded here by John Brian, rector, who died in 1322, and a licence was granted by
the King, August 20, 1323 ; Robert de Burton, chaplain, exchanged with William de Aynho, June 15,
1327. In 1548 the endowment fetched ^^13 : i : 4.
Robert Large, Mayor in 1440, and -donor of ^200 to the church, was buried here. Among the
later monuments is one in memory of Sir Nathaniel Heme, Governor of the East India Company ; he
died 1679.
The church was not rich in charitable gifts and legacies. Among the benefactors, Sir Thomas Hewet
gave ^5 :4s. yearly; Henry Lo gave ^10 for ever; Gervase Vaughan gave a house, rented at ^^14 per
annum, to provide bread for the poor every Sunday.
On the west side of Old Jewry there was a free school, said to be founded by Thomas a Becket in
1 160, for 25 scholars. There were two almshouses for 9 poor widows of armourers, each of whom received
6s. per quarter, and 9 bushels of coal a year ; those past labour received £,\ a quarter. These were the
gift of Mr. Tindal, citizen and armourer of London.
Anthony EUys, D.D. (1690-1761), Bishop of St. David's, was rector, also Joseph Holden Pott
(1759-1847), Archdeacon of London.
Old Jewry runs through into Gresham Street, which is roughly parallel with
Cheapside.
Gresham Street, formerly called Catte, Cateaton, or Ketton Street, or Cattling
Street, when changed to its present name also swallowed up Lad Lane and Maiden
Lane.
Catte Street is mentioned in a deed dated the Saturday after Ascension 1294,
in which Hugh de Vyenne, Canon of St. Martin's-le-Grand, grants to the master and
scholars of Balliol, inter alia, four shillings of yearly rent from the tenement held by
Martin the arbitrator, in Catte Street, opposite the church of St. Lawrence, also the
same amount from the tenement of Adam de Horsham opposite the church.
On the Feast of Ascension in the year 1360 a case of great interest was heard
at the Hustings of common pleas.
In this case, John de Wyclif, Master of Balliol, Oxford, was attached to make
answer to Nicholas Marchant in a plea of distresses taken. Wyclif is accused of
having made an unlawful seizure upon the freehold of Nicholas in the parish of St.
Lawrence, Jewry, on Wednesday after the Feast of St. Gregory that year. From
the pleading it appears that the house was once the property of " one Thippe, wife of
Isaac of Suthwerk, a Jewess" ; after her exit from England it came to King Edward,
grandfather of Edward III. Their tenement in Catte Street was given (so the
pleadings show) by that king to Adam de Horsham, mercer, uncle of Nicholas
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 25
above named, at a rent of one penny per annum to the King. Wyclif joins the suit.
Nicholas has to pay arrears and is amerced [hitherto WycHf's mastership of Balliol
was ascribed to date from 1361, hence the importance of this MS.] (Historical MS.
Commission, Report IV., p. 448).
There is another ancient mention of Catte Street, belonging to the year 1281,
in which one Aaron, a wealthy Jew and a money-lender, contracts with Rudolph the
mason for the building of a house in Catte Street.
From Aldermanbury westward to Wood Street, Gresham Street was formerly
called Lad Lane. The name occurs certainly as early as 1 301, as containing a house
belonging to Coke Bateman, a Jew. It is first found in the Calendar of Wills in
1362, after which we hear no more of it till 141 9. Here a Roman pavement was
found.
One of the most important of the old coaching inns, the Swan with two Necks,
stood in Lad Lane. From this place an amazing number of coaches and wagons
set out every day. The sign is still to be seen over the entrance to the London
and South Western Railway Company's yard.
The street was widened in 1845. It has a picturesque appearance, for the
houses project irregularly at the corners of the cross streets. The Church of St.
Lawrence occupies part of the north side.
ST. LAWRENCE, JEWRY
The date of the foundation of St. Laurence or Lawrence, Jewry, is not known, but the church was
burnt down by the Great Fire, and rebuilt by Wren 1671-76, when the parish of St. Mary Magdalene
was annexed. The new building was erected at the expense of the parishioners, assisted by a liberal
subscription from Sir John Langhani. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1321. The patronage of the
church was in the hands of Henry de Wickenbroke, who, May 30, 1294, gave the Rectory to Balliol
College, Oxford, when a Vicarage was here ordained, and in this college it still continues.
Houseling people in 1548 were 148.
The church measures 82 feet in length, 71 feet in breadth, and 39 feet in height. It contains
only one aisle, on the north side, separated from the rest of the building by Corinthian columns.
Above the columns is a richly worked entablature, which is continued all round the church. The east
front has a fai^ade formed by four Corinthian columns with entablature, supporting the pediment. The
tower, which is three storied, is surmounted by a square turrtt, supporting a square pedestal, and above
this by an octagonal spirelet with a ball and vane; the vane is in the form of St. Laurence's emblem,
the gridiron. The total height is 160 feet.
Chantries were founded here : For William de Kancia at the Altar of St. John, July 10, 1321 ; by
Thomas Wytton at the Altar of Virgin Mary, the endowment of which fetched £ii : 4 : 8 in 1548, when
Thomas Sandlord was chaplain ; by William Myldreth at the Altar of St. Michael the Archangel, the
endowment of which yielded ^7:6:8 in 1548, when Rowland Robynsonne was chaplain; by Simon
Bonyngton, whose endowment fetched .^£^22:13:4 in 1548 when Thomas Sylvester was chaplain; by
Simon Bartlett, whose endowment yielded ^5:4:8 in 1548, when Thomas Ballard was chaplain; by
Simon Gosseham, for two chaplains, whose endowment fetched ^1^14: 6 :8 in 1548, when Thomas Begley
and Henry Whorleston were the priests.
The old church was the burying-place of a considerable number of eminent citizens. Among them
26
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
were : Richard Rich, ancestor of the Earls of Warwick and Holland, who died in 1469 ; Sir Gefifney Bullen,
Lord Mayor in 1459 and great-great-grandfather to Queen Elizabeth ; Sir Richard Gresham, Lord Mayor
in 1537 and father of Sir Thomas Gresham ; Sir Michael Dormer, Lord Mayor in 1541 ; Roger Thorney,
who founded a Fellowship at Jesus College, Cambridge ; Dame Alice Avenon, a benefactress to the parish.
Against the west wall there is a monument displaying three busts, in memory of Alderman Sir William
Halliday, sheriff in 1617 ; this was erected in 1687 by Dame Margaret Hungerford in place of that destroyed
ST. LAWRENCE, JEWRY
by the Fire. Dr. John Wilkins, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and vicar here in 1662, was buried
under the north wall of the chancel. There are monuments also to John Tillotson, lecturer here for some
years, and to Dr. Benjamin Whichcote, the celebrated preacher, who succeeded Wilkins as vicar. On
the western part of the south wall a large monument commemorates Mrs. Sarah Scott, who died in 1750,
leaving ^700 for parish purposes. Sir John Langham was a donor of ^250 for the purpose of church
repairing, etc., and no gifts or bequests belonging to the parish are recorded by Stow, except two weekly
lectures each at £^0 per annum, the donors of which are not stated by him. There was one Grammar
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
27
School, kept over the vestry. William Bell, Master of Balliol College, Oxford, in 1494 was a rector here ;
also William White, Master of Balliol College, Oxford 1125-39; Edward Reynolds (1629-1698), Bishop
of Norwich; Seth Ward (1617-1689), Bishop of Exeter; John Mapletoft (1631-1721), President of Zion
CdBege ; and Benjamin Morgan Cowie (18 16- 1900), Dean of Exeter.
Gresham College stands at the end of a row of uniform plaster-faced houses.
The College itself is a great yellow-plastered building with disproportionately heavy
cornice and rigid balconies.
In Guildhall Yard is a fine view of the ornamental gateway of the Guildhall.
On the east is the Guildhall Tavern, and on the west, beyond the church, is an open
!'y y, Cottty,
SS. ANNE AND AGNES
space, formerly the churchyard, with a few plane-trees dotted about, and a fountain
of Gothic design, erected in 1866, with statues upon it representing St. Lawrence
and the Magdalene.
St. Martin's House, on the north side, is a modern red sandstone building.
St. Anne's Churchyard, with one or two plane-trees of good size, makes a break
in the line of modern houses beyond.
SS. ANNE AND AGNES. ALDERSGATE
This church stands on the north side of Gresham Street, towards the west end. The date of the
foundation of the original church is uncertain, but mention is made of it in a deed dating between
28 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
1193-1212, in St. Paul's Cathedral. It was damaged by fire in 1548, reconstructed and again destroyed
by the Great Fire of 1666. The present building was completed by Wren in 1681. The earliest date of
an incumbent is 1322.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of :
The Dean and Canons of St. Martin's-le-Grand, 1322 ; the Abbot and Convent of Westminster,
1510; the Bishop of Westminster by grant of Henry VIII., January 11, 1540-41; the Bishop of
London and his successors by grant of Edward VI., July 4, 1550; confirmed by Queen Mary, March
3. 1553-54-
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
The present building is of brick, and measures 53 feet square, and 35 feet in height. Within this
area four Corinthian columns form another square. The tower, rising at the west, measures 14 feet at the
base and culminates in a vane ; the total height is 95 feet.
A chantry was founded here by Thomas Juvenal and Alice his wife at the Altar of St. Nicholas ;
to which Richard Grant was instituted chaplain, April 10, 1363.
The church formerly contained monuments to Stephen Brackynbury, gentleman. Usher to Henry
VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. William Gregory, Mayor of London, 1461, was
buried here, but no monument remained in 1598.
The principal benefactors were William Gregory, alderman and skinner, and John Werke, goldsmith,
both of whom bequeathed a number of houses to the parish in the fifteenth century.
Some of the most notable rectors were : John Hopton (d. 1558), Bishop of Norwich ; Samuel Freeman,
Dean of Peterborough, 1691 ; and Fifield Allen, Archdeacon of Middlesex.
At the corner of Noble Street is the churchyard of St. John Zachary, which
parish is now incorporated with St. Anne and St. Agnes. This is a fairly large
piece of ground surrounded by brick houses. There are many upright tombstones
among the blackened shrubs within. Beyond there is a large building of red brick
finished with piers of polished granite.
The Church of St. John Zachary, which was situated in Maiden Lane, was burnt down
in the Great Fire and its parish annexed to that of St. Anne, Aldersgate. It was built or founded
by a monk named Zachary. The earliest date of an incumbent is some year between 1 2 1 7
and 1243.
The church has always been in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, from the earliest
record up to 1666, when the parish was annexed to that of St. Anne and St. Agnes.
Houseling people in 1548 were 240.
Chantries were founded here by Thomas Lichfield in 1320; for Roger Beynyn and Isabel his
wife before 1322.
Stow records that the monuments in this church were well preserved in his time. Some of the
most notable persons commemorated were : Sir James Pemberton, who founded a free school in Lancashire,
and was donor of many other charitable gifts (died 16 13); Philip Strelley (d. 1603), benefactor to the
parish, and Henry de Spondon, rector here in 1366.
There were some small legacies belonging to the parish, but few names are recorded by Stow.
Colonel Henry Drax was donor of ^^20, and his wife of ^30. Philip Strelley, of 40s. a year.
By the subscribers of the united parishes thirty boys and twenty girls were taught, clothed, and
put out as apprentices.
William Byngham, founder of Christ Church College, Cambridge, was rector here.
In Gresham Street are also the halls of two City Companies.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 29
THE HABERDASHERS COMPANY
It has been surmised that the haberdashers were originally a branch of the mercers, and formed
a trade association for the protection and general supervision of the trade carried on by the haberdashers
and milliners. They are supposed to have existed as early as the year 1372, being mentioned in the
City records as having then promulgated their first ordinances. By the Company's earlier minute books
they seem to have been at one time associated with the felt-makers.
The first charter granted to the Haberdashers Company was by Henry VI. (June 3, 1448) ;
it authorised and empowered the liegemen of the mystery of haberdashers to erect and found a guild
or fraternity in honour of St. Katherine. The charter grants that the fraternity shall be a perpetual
and incorporate fraternity of haberdashers of St. Katherine of London, to hold lands to themselves
and their successors and with a common seal.
Henry VII. by charter united the crafts of hurriers and hatter merchants into one craft, and
by another charter, 17th Henry VII., he united the hurriers and hatter merchants with the craft of
haberdashers, and declared they should be one craft and perpetual commonalty by the name of Merchant
Haberdashers.
Henry VIII. — November 15 u — by charter of this date confirmed previous charters, and, on
the application of the Merchant Haberdashers, altered and translated the style of the said guild into
the name of the Master and Four Wardens of the Guild of Fraternity of St. Katherine, of the Craft
of Haberdashers, in the City of London. It enacted that no foreigner or stranger in London should
make any caps or hats for the use of any stranger, unless admitted by the master and wardens, under
pain or forfeiture of the thing made, one half to go to the Mayor and Commonalty of the City, and the
other to the use of the mystery or craft aforesaid.
Philip and Mary — 1557 — by charter of this date confirmed all previous charters.
Elizabeth — June 19, 1578 — by charter confirmed all previous charters, and it is under this charter
that the Company is now governed.
It is thought there can be little doubt that the Haberdashers Company was originally established
for trade purposes, and was in former times associated with other trades, as the felt - makers and
hatters. The beforementioned charters of incorporation gave the Company considerable powers for
regulating the trade in haberdashery, and for enforcing its orders in reference thereto, and these powers
were no doubt exercised for many years. In course of time, however, the business or trade of haberdashery
became so interwoven with other trades, such as drapers, milliners, mercers, hosiers, etc., that there
is no longer any distinct business of haberdashery. The Company, however, being anxious to help those
who are engaged in it have for the last eight or nine years advertised that the sum of .;£^ioo will be annually
awarded as prizes to the actual inventors of new patterns, designs, or specimens of articles of haberdashery
proper, provided such inventors were not manufacturers or dealers. No control is now exercised by
the Company in reference to the trade of haberdashery.
Freemen are eligible for pensions and gifts if in needy circumstances. The children of freemen
have the privilege of competing for certain exhibitions in the gift of the Company.
Liverymen are also eligible for the pensions and gifts under similar circumstances, and their
children have like privileges for competing in exhibitions. They are also eligible (provided their fathers
or grandfathers are not inembers of the governing body) for educational grants which are made voluntarily
by the Company annually towards defraying the cost of education, and liverymen's children who have
distinguished themselves in their studies are also eligible for four exhibitions of ^40 each, also voluntarily
given by the Company and tenable for three years, for the purpose of pursuing their studies in the higher
branches of learning. The children of liverymen and freemen have also a priority of claim over outsiders
for admission to the Company's Aske's Schools at Hatcham and West Hampstead and Acton.
The members of the governing body, on attending courts and committees (but not otherwise), receive
fees for their attendance.
30 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The present number of pensioners is 152, and the amount paid to them ^62999 : los.
The present number of recipients of annual gifts is 40, and the amount paid to them ^^215 : 2s.
It is beheved that few, if any, of the recipients of the above pensions and gifts carry on or have
carried on the trade the name of which is borne by the Company. Considerable grants are made every
year to poor clergy and poor hatters.
In addition to the above yearly gifts various sums are from time to time voluntarily granted to poor
members of the Company, their widows and families, amounting in 1879 to £,2-}(i : los.
The Hall is at 77 Gresham Street. It was built by Wren but burned down in 1864.
The Trust Income of the Company is expended in schools and almshouses, the most important
schools being Aske's, referred to above. There are other almshouses at Monmouth, at Newland in
Gloucestershire, and at Newport, Salop. There are also schools at Monmouth, Pontypool, Newport,
Salop, and Bunbury connected with the Company. They give several exhibitions, and they grant pensions
and give large subscriptions to philanthropic objects.
THE WAX CHANDLERS COMPANY
There is no documentary evidence in the possession of the Wax Chandlers' Company of an earlier
date than 45th Edward III., a.d. 137 i, which is a petition to the Court of Aldermen of the City of
London for leave to choose searchers for bad wares, and for approval of byelaws then submitted for the
regulation of the craft. The prayer of this petition seems to have been acceded to, for Walter Rede and
John Pope were in the same year chosen and sworn to oversee the said craft, and the defaults from time
to time found to present to the mayor and aldermen, etc. These documents are set out (p. 104) in
the Report of the Commissioners on Municipal Corporations in England and Wales dated 1837. That
the craft of wax chandlers had an association previous to this date there are no documents to show,
although from the petition it would appear that it had, but without power to enforce obedience to its orders.
The following is a list of the charters, etc., granted at various times to the Company :
I. Charter of i Richard III., 1484. 2. Grant of arms, 2 Richard III., 1485. 3. Further grant
of arms, 28 Henry VIII., 1536. 4. Exemplification and confirmation of said charter of Richard III. by
Philip and Mary, 7th June, 4 and 5 Philip and Mary. 5. Letters Patent of confirmation of said charter
t)y Queen Elizabeth, 2 Elizabeth, 1560. 6. Ditto, ditto. King James I., 2 James I., 1604. 7. Charter
of 15 Charles II., 1663. 8. Byelaws pursuant to last-mentioned charter, and the statute 19 Henry VIL,
approved and signed and sealed by the Lord Chancellor and two Chief Justices of the King's Bench and
Common Pleas, dated June 28, 1664, referred to at p. 100 of the above-mentioned report. 9. Charter
of I James II., 1685 (this charter was avoided under the General Statute).
At present they have a livery of twenty-seven, a Corporate Income of ^1370, a Trust Income of
^230, and a hall in Gresham Street.
The use of wax tapers and candles not only in the churches, but also in the houses of the wealthy
sort, caused the material to be valuable and the mystery of preparing it prosperous. The Company was in
fact in great credit until the Reformation, when the greater part of its work — that of providing lights for
the churches — vanished.
In ancient documents the Guildhall Yard is mentioned frequently, as might be
expected. In Agas's map the yard is enclosed, and entered by a gateway. Some
of the land belonged to Balliol College, Oxford. It was widened by taking off part
of the churchyard of St. Lawrence, Jewry. Here were the taverns of the Three
Tuns and the White Lyon. Sir Erasmus de la Fountaine had property here and
gave his name to Fountain Court.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
31
A passage out of Guildhall Yard and others out of Basinghall Street and
Cateaton Street led to the two courts of Blackwell or Bakewell Hall.
Of this historic mansion Stow speaks at some length. He says that it was
built upon vaults of stone brought from Caen in Normandy, and that it was covered
over in painting and carved stone with the arms of the Basings or Bassings, viz.
"a gyronny of twelve points gold and azure." This family when Stow writes was
"worn out." In the 36th year of Edward III., one Thomas Bakewell was living in
this house. In the 20th of Richard II., for a sum of ^^50, licence was given to
^:
BLACKWELI, IIAI-I., 1819
transfer this hall with certain messuages appertaining to the mayor and commonalty
of the City. Here was established the year after, by Whittington, thrice Mayor, a
weekly market for cloth, no foreigners being allowed to sell cloth anywhere e.xcept
in Blackwell Hall and in the courts thereof. In the year 1588 the house, being
decayed, was taken down and rebuilt. In the Great Fire the Hall was destroyed,
together with a great quantity of cloth stored by country manufacturers in its
warehouses. "What," says Lord Clarendon, "have we lost in clothe if the little
Company [the stationers] lost ;^200,ooo in books ? "
"The late edifice of Blackwell Hall appears to have been erected about the
year 1672, and it exhibited the dull and prison-like appearance of the older store-
32 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
houses of London, in the unglazed transom-windows with iron bars, contained in the
front. The attic was ornamented with a cornice and pediment, and in the centre
was a heavy stately stone gateway between two Doric columns, surmounted by the
royal arms, carved in a panel above ; and the city arms, impaling those of Christ's
Hospital, supported by winged boys, were sculptured in the head of the arch. The
disposition of the interior consisted of two quadrangular open courts, one beyond the
other, surrounded by buildings of freestone. Within the Hall were several large
rooms or warehouses, both above and on the ground floor, in which the factors
employed by the clothiers exposed their cloths on the established market days,
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the first being the principal. These apartments
formed the Devonshire, Gloucester, Worcester, Kentish, Medley, Spanish, and
Blanket Halls, etc., in which one penny was charged for the pitching of each piece
of cloth, and one halfpenny per week each for resting there. The profits paid to
Christ's Hospital arising from those charges are said to have produced ^looo
yearly " (Wilkinson's Londina Illustrata, vol. ii. p. 36).
The changes gradually made in the cloth trade caused the decay of the market.
In 1 81 5 an Act was passed enabling the Mayor and Corporation to pull down the
hall of St. Mary Magdalene Chapel, which w'as stated to be in a ruinous condition,
and to replace it by buildings for courts.
The present Art Gallery, the Museum, the Library, Guildhall Buildings, the
Courts, etc., stand upon the site of the Hall, the Chapel, and the adjacent ground.
The Hall was taken down in 1819.
The Guildhall, like the Mansion House, Royal E.xchange, etc., is so woven in
with the history of the City that an account of it must be sought in the historical
volumes preceding this.
We may return to the Poultry by the next north and south thoroughfare,
namely :
Ironmonger Lane, which is frequently mentioned in early deeds and documents.
As early as the middle of the twelfth century documents are spoken of in " Ismongers'
Lane," in the parish of St. Mary Colechurch. In 1245 there are shops, solars, and
cellars in the street. Riley [Mem. 128. 15) presents two most interesting inquests
connected with two murders in this street. The lane is called variously Ismongers',
Iremongers', and Ironmongers'.
On the east side of this street, near Cheapside, was the Church of St. Martin
Pomeroy.
St. Martin Pomeroy is supposed by Stow to have gained its second name from an apple garden
there, but it was more probably from a family named Pomeroy. In 1629 the church was repaired, but
it was burnt down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being united to that of St. Olave, Jewry.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 1361.
The patronage of the church before 1253 was in the hands of Ralph Tricket, who gave it in 1253 to
MKRCKKS' IIAI.L
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 33
the Prior and Canons of St. Bartholomew, Smithfield ; after the Reformation it continued in the Crown
up to 1666, when it was annexed to St. Olave.
HouseUng people in 1548 were 120.
Chantries were founded here : For Henry atte Roth, chandeler, to which Richard Scot was admitted,
February 7, 1391-92 ; for William Love, to which Stephen Benet was collated, January 24, 1391-92. Only
two monuments are recorded by Strype, neither of which commemorate persons of eminence. There was
a free school, said to have been founded by Thomas a Becket, in the Old Jewry, for twenty-five scholars.
There were also two almshouses for nine widows of Armourers or Braziers, the gift of Mr. Tindal, citizen
and armourer of London.
John Kingscote, Bishop of Carlisle, 1462, was rector here.
In Ironmonger Lane is the Mercers' Hall.
THE MERCERS COMPANY
The Mercers, although not incorporated until the year 1393 (17th Richard IL), were in very early
times associated voluntarily for the purposes of mutual aid and comfort. They come to light as a
fraternity first in the time of Henry II., for Gilbert a Becket, the father of St. Thomas of Canterbury, is
said to have been a mercer ; and in the year 1 192, Agnes de Helles, sister of St. Thomas, and her husband,
Thomas Fitztheobald de Helles, in founding the hospital of St. Thomas of Aeon, which is distinctly stated
to have been built on the spot where the future archbishop was born, constituted the fraternity of mercers
patrons of the hospital. The hospital and the Company were intimately connected until the Reformation,
and afford a good example of the connection of secular guilds and ecclesiastical foundations in the Middle
Ages, secular guilds being established for the promotion of trade and almsdeeds, and ecclesiastical founda-
tions for devotion and almsdeeds.
It is probable that a guild could not be carried on without the King's licence at this early date ; and it
would seem a necessary interference that the mercers had a licence at the time of Henry H., from their not
appearing among the "adulterine" guilds, or guilds set up without the King's licence, which were fined in
1 180 for being established without such licence.
The Merchant Adventurers Company gradually became detached from the Mercers Company in
the course of the fifteenth century, especially by the opening of the trade with Flanders in the year 1497 ;
and yet more so in 1564, when Queen Elizabeth, by charter, constituted the Merchant Adventurers a
distinct body politic or corporation in England; but the Mercers Company still kept up an intimate
connection with the "Brotherhood beyond the Sea," the last link connecting the two companies being only
severed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed the office which the Merchant Adventurers
held of the mercers under Mercers' Hall.
It is probable, however, that trade in former times was separated into main divisions, the staple and
the miscellaneous, now known as mercery. Silk, when first imported, fell in England into the latter
division, hence the combined appellation " silk mercers " ; but on the Continent the word was applied to
the vendors of all goods carried about for sale. Cervantes, speaking of the original history in Arabic of
Don Quixote, says he purchased it of a book mercer ; and Guicciardini, in his description of the Nether-
lands, speaks of merceries as well of silk as of other materials, and in another place says that mercery
comprehends all things sold by retail or by the little balance or scales. Skinner, in his Etymologkon,
published in 1671, says " that a mercer was mercator peripatcticus" or an itinerant merchant.
The master and wardens superintended the taking of apprentices by their members, searching the
weights and measures of shopkeepers belonging to the Company, and otherwise regulating their commercial
dealings. The Company appointed brokers of mercery wares, under the first charter to the City by Edward
II., by which it was declared that there should be no brokers in the City but those chosen by the merchants
in the mysteries in which they exercised their office, and under the charter of Edward III., which declared
that none should exercise the office of broker in foreign merchandise in London unless chosen by the
3
34 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
merchants of the mysteries in which they should act. The Company also appointed a common meter of
linen cloth and silk, a common weigher of raw silk, and tackle porters to do their work at the waterside.
The Company no longer appoint to any of these offices, because of the different methods of carrying on
business which have obtained in modern times.
In the 13th year of Edward II. the Companies had advanced towards the phase of "Livery
Companies." '■'■ Moultz des gens de Mesiers en Loundres ftirent vestus de suite.''
The Company seem to have exercised some supervision over the retailers of silk and other mercery
wares previous to the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; but such supervision was probably not founded on any
legal basis, as a petition to the privy council at the commencement of that queen's reign, praying that these
rights should be recognised, was unsuccessful.
The numbers of the Company have been recruited by the admission of apprentices, and from the
sons of mercers, who have from very early times been always entitled to the freedom ; and one reason for
the smallness of the Company may probably have been the old custom, established so long ago as 1347,
that no strangers should be admitted to the freedom without the consent of the generality. The Company
has never been very numerous. In 1347, when it was refounded, 103 persons paid their entrance fees;
in 1527 the Company numbered 144; in 1707, when most numerous, 331; and on December 31,
1880, 166.
The earliest date of which there is a record in the Company's books is the year 1347, when it was
reorganised, if not refounded.
The statement that no one should take as an apprentice one who had carried packs through the
country, called pedlars, seems to show that a mercer at this time had ceased to be, if he had ever been,
a pedlar.
Previous to the charter granted by Richard II., the mercers did not pretend to be a corporation, but
simply a member of the City. In their petition to Parliament in loth Richard II., against Nicholas
Brembre, then mayor, they call themselves " the folk of the mercerie, a member of the city." The
Company, having at this time no hall of their own, assembled either in the house of one of the wardens,
or in the hall or church of the hospital of St. Thomas of Aeon, the site of which is now occupied by their
chapel and hall, and subsequently occasionally at the Prince's Wardrobe in the Old Jewry. They had
then no landed property, and their income was derived from subscriptions, apprentice fees, and fines, and
amounted to about ;^20 a year.
The Company's first charter, enrolled at the Record Office (the original of which has been lost), is
dated at Westminster the 13th January, 17th Richard II. (1393).
The most important event in the early history of the Mercers Company was the appointment of the
Company as trustees of the charities of Sir Richard Whittington, several times master or principal warden
of the Company, and four times Lord Mayor of London. He died in the year 1422-23. It is not necessary
to enumerate precisely the munificent works of charity which were carried out by Sir Richard Whittington'
in his lifetime, or by his executors after his death ; suffice it to say that he, or they by his direction, rebuilt
the parish church of St. Michael Royal, rebuilt the prison of Newgate, built or repaired the City conduits,
contributed very largely to the building of St. Bartholomew's Hospital and of the Guildhall, to the library
of the Corporation of London, and the library of the Greyfriars, and established a chaplain at St. Paul's.
Whittington appointed John Coventry, John White, John Carpenter, and William Grove to be executors of
his will, which was proved in March 1422-23. On the 12th November, 3rd Henry \T. (1424), his executors
obtained a charter from the King to found Whittington college and almshouses. Of both these founda-
tions the Mercers Company were made trustees.
The Company's second charter was granted by Henry VI. at the prayer of the executors of
Whittington.
On the accession of Edward IV. it became necessary for the quieting of men's titles that the grants
made by the Lancastrian kings "should be confirmed, and accordingly the statute ist Edward IV. cap. i
was passed, by which it was enacted that all liberties and franchises granted by Henry IV., Henry V., and
Henry VI., to counties or corporations, and among others to the wardens and commonalty of the Mystery
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
35
of Mercers of the City of London, should be of the same force and virtue as if they had been granted by
kings reigning de jure. The Mercers Company is the only company named in the Act, the others being
included in general words.
1463. This year is a most important one in the Company's annals, as in it the court of assistants
was first established. The business of the Company having very much increased, both on account of their
MERCERS HALL
connection with the Merchant Adventurers Company and also from the management of the trusts of
Whittington, Abbot, and Estfield, it was felt that the whole burden of the Company's affairs should not be
cast upon the wardens, and that it was not desirable that the generality should be constantly called
together. For many years previous to this date it had been the practice that the wardens, and the
aldermen free of the Company, and their peers, should hold assemblies for the devising of ordinances or
other matters, their deliberations being afterwards submitted to a general court for approval. On the
23rd of July 1463, at a general court of the Company, the following resolution was passed : " It is accorded
J
6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
that for the holding of many courts and congregations of the fellowship it. is tedious and grievous to the
body of the fellowship, and specially for matters of no great effect, that hereafter yearly shall be chosen
and associate to the custoses for the time being, 12 other sufficient persons to be assistants to the said
custoses, and all matters by them, or most part of them, finished, to be holden firm and stable, and the
fellowship to abide by them."
The rest of the history of the Mercers Company is mainly occupied by a recital of charities which
were placed in their hands to administer. It is sufficient to call attention to the many and splendid
endowments which have been placed in the hands of the Company.
The general court appoint three trustees of the Prisons' Charities Trust, decide when the corporate
seal shall be affixed, and determine the amount of fees which shall be paid for attendance at general courts,
courts of assistants, and committees. The fee paid to a member for his attendance at general courts and
courts of assistants is ^4 : 4s., and to a member attending a committee, £,2 : 2s.
(i) A freeman is entitled from Lady Campden's legacy for loans, and from the money legacies for
loans, to have the loan of not more than ;^5oo without interest for not more than five years, giving
approved security.
He is entitled, if his circumstances warrant it, and within the limits of the Company's nominations,
to have his sons placed in Christ's Hospital under Daniel Westall's gift, and clothed, boarded, and
educated there from eight years old to fifteen, and perhaps to nineteen ; and his daughters educated
out of the Company's funds at an expense not exceeding .;^5o per annum, from nine years of age to
fifteen, and if they show reasonable proficiency and ability to seventeen, under regulations approved by
the general court.
He is also entitled in case of old age, misfortune, or infirmity to receive relief proportioned to his
circumstances out of the Company's or out of Sir Richard Whittington's estate, which was left to the
Company specially for that purpose ; and his widow and daughters are entitled to relief under similar
circumstances.
(2) Liveryman. — A liveryman is entitled to the same advantages as a freeman, and in addition is
invited to three dinners in the course of the year. He has the right to attend common hall, and to vote
at elections of lord mayors and sheriffs and of such other officers of the Corporation of London as are
elected by the livery ; and if resident within a radius of twenty-five miles from the City, to vote at elections
of members of Parliament for the City of London.
He is eligible, and if of sufficient position and standing he is generally called in rotation by the court
of assistants, to be a member of their body.
(3) Master, Warden, or otherwise a member of the governing body. — A member of the court of
assistants is summoned to general courts as well as to meetings of the court of assistants (which are held
weekly, except during Christmas and Easter weeks and six weeks in August and September). He is also
eligible to be placed on committees appointed by the court and on the Gresham committee.
He is invited to dine at all dinners in the Company's hall.
He recommends in rotation to appointments to Mercers' School, and to out -pensions on the
Whittington estate, and to the Whittington almshouses.
The court of assistants appoint nine governors of St. Paul's School under the provisions of the
scheme, and also governors and members of the council and of the executive committee of the City and
Guilds of London Institute for the Advancement of Technical Education.
The master and wardens are members of every committee appointed by the Company. They
distribute Alderman Walthall's and Lady Hungerford's gifts, appoint preachers in Mercers' Chapel under
various gifts, and are ex officio governors of St. Paul's School.
They also receive under various wills of benefactors to the Company certain small annuities, and are
entitled to the surplus of Blundell's estate, which surplus amounted in 1 880 to ;£205 19:9.
A member of the Company will probably come on to the court of assistants \vhen he is about
forty-five years of age, and he remains a member for life.
The Company does not carry on any trade or occupation whatever.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 37
The Mercers' Hall is interesting as standing on the site of the ancient House of St. Thomas Aeon.
On the dissolution the Mercers purchased the buildings of the House.
The Mercers had occupied a house adjoining for more than a hundred years before this acquisition.
The Religious House itself was undoubtedly on the site of the house where Thomas was born. The
buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire. The second hall was built on the same site with another
chapel in which service is held every Sunday evening. Fragments of the ancient buildings can still be
seen. The present hall is said to have been designed by Wren. The entrance in Cheapside was
built in 1S79.
Among the more distinguished members of this great Company have been Whittington, Caxton, and
Sir Thomas Gresham, Sir Henry Colet, Sir Baptist Hicks. The present number of the livery is returned
in Whitakcr as 187 ; the Corporate Income as ;^48,ooo ; the Trust Income as ^35,000.
For an account of the Hospital of St. Thomas of Aeon, which at first extended
from Ironmonger Lane to Old Jewry, see Mediceval London, vol. ii. p. 262.
King Street was constructed after the Fire, in order to give a nobler approach
to the Guildhall. Pepys refers to the ground having been already bought in
December 1667. Strype says that "it is well inhabited by Norwich Factors and
other wholesale dealers of wealth and reputation." He calls it New King Street.
Trump Street or Trump Alley is not named in Agas, Stow, or Ogilvy; Strype
calls it Duke Street.
The mention of John Carsyl, Tromppour, Trumper or Trumpet-maker (1308),
also of William Trompeor (1321) and William le Trompour, gives Riley occasion
for the followinor notes :
o
"The persons who followed this trade mostly lived, in all probability, in Trump
Street, formerly Trump Alley (a much longer street then than it is now), near the
Guildhall ; their principal customers not improbably being the City waits, or
watchmen ; each of whom was provided with a trumpet, also known as a "wait," for
soundinof the hours of the watch, and griving- the alarm. In reference to this trade it
deserves the remark, that the only memorial that has come down to us of the
Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin, and of St. Mary Magdalen and all Saints, formerly
adjoining the Guildhall, is a massive stone coffin (now in the Library at Guildhall)
with its lid, whereon is sculptured a cross between two trumpets, and around its
margin the following inscription : Godefrey le Trompour : gist : ci : Deu : del :
ealme : eit : merci. 'Godefrey the Trompour lies here, God on the soul have
mercy.' In Trump Alley, close adjoining, he probably lived, sold trumpets, and
died — if we may judge from the character of the writing, in the latter half of the
fourteenth century" (Riley's Memorials, p. xxi).
St. Lawrence Lane. — " Antiquities in this lane I find none other, than that
among many fair houses, there is one large inn for receipt of Travellers called
Blossoms inn, but corruptly Bosoms inn, and hath to sign St. Laurence the Deacon,
in a border of blossoms or flowers" (Stow's Survey).
Cunningham adds as follows :
"When Charles V. came over to this country in 1522, certain houses and inns
48319
38 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
were set apart for the reception of his retinue, and in St. Lawrence Lane, at 'the
signe of Saint Lawrence, otherwise called Bosoms yn, xx beddes and a stable for Ix
horses' were directed to be got ready. The curious old tract about Bankes and his
bay horse [Maroccus Extaticus) is said to be by 'John Dando, the wier-drawer of
Hadley, and Harrie Runt, head ostler of Besomes Inne.'"
The inn was also called " Bossamez " Inn and Boscham's Inn.
Honey Lane Market was established soon after the Fire. Strype thus
speaks of it (vol. i. p. 566) :
"Adjoining to this street, on the north side, is Honey Lane, being now, as it
were, an alley with a Freestone pavement, serving as a passage to Honey Lane
Market ; the former Lane, and other buildings, being since the fire of London
converted into this market. Among which buildings, was the Parish Church of
St. AUhallow's, Honey Lane ; and, because it was thought fit not to rebuild it, the
parish is united to St. Mary-le-Bow. This Market is well served, every Week,
on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with Provisions. The Place
taken up by this Market is spacious. In the middle is a large and square Market-
house, standing on pillars, with rooms over it, and a bell-tower in the midst. There
are in the market one hundred and thirty-five standing stalls for butchers, with
racks, blocks, and others necessaries, all covered over, to shelter them from the
injury of the weather ; and also several stalls for fruiterers. The west end of the
market lieth open to Milk Street, where there is a cock of conduit water for the use
of the market. There are two other passages into it, that is, one out of
St. Lawrence's Lane, besides that which comes out of Cheapside ; which passages
are inhabited by grocers. Fishmongers, Poulterers, Victuallers, and Cheesemongers."
Complaints are found in the wardmote book of people making fires in the
market ; of butchers killing sheep and lambs there ; and of the annoyance caused by
the farmers letting soil and refuse lie about the place. Honey Lane, which led to it,
is said by Stow to be so called, being a dark and narrow place, on account of the
constant washing required to keep it clean — a far-fetched derivation. The name is
indeed very ancient. In a grant, dated 1203-15, made by the Dean and Chapter
of St. Paul's to one Richard de Corilis mention is made of"Huni" Lane, and in
another grant of the same period the house in question, "a stone built house," is
mentioned in between Milk Street and "Huni" Lane. There was one Elias de
Honey Lane in 1274.
The market was closed in 1835 and the City of London School built on its
site. The school has now been removed to the Embankment and the place is let
out in offices.
The Church of AllhallOWS, Honey Lane, stood on the north side of Cheapside in Honey Lane.
It was burnt down in the Great Fire and the parish was then annexed to St. Mary-le-Bow. Honey Lane
Market was on the site of the church. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1327.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
39
The patronage was in the hands of: Simon de Creppyng, citizen, who presented in 1327; several
private persons, among whom was Thomas Knoles, Mayor of London, 1399; the Grocers Company,
1471-1666, when it was annexed to St. Mary-le-Bow.
Houseling people in 1548 were 150.
Chantries were founded here for John Fourneys, citizen, and Katherine his wife, ^t the Altar of
Blessed Virgin Mary, August 22, 1396 (Pat. 20 Rd. II. p. i. m. 2i),and by Alexander Speat, Thomas
CITY OF LONDON SCHOOI,, MII.K STREET
Trompington, John Downe, and Henry Edelmeton. Sir John Norman, Mayor of London, 1453, was
buried in this church. No bequests or charitable gifts are recorded in Parish Clerk's Summary of 1732.
Among the notable rectors were Thomas Garrard, who was burnt at Smithfiekl, and John Young,
Bishop of Gallipoli.
Milk Street is one of the streets of Cheapside which peculiarly recalls the
site of the old market by its name. There is not much recorded of this street.
40 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Sir Thomas More was born here, "the brightest star," says Fuller, "that ever
shone in that via Lactea." In the Calendar of Wills the street is repeatedly
mentioned as containing shops. The earliest date on which it occurs is 127S. In
Riley's Memorials we find a cook living here in 1351 ; in 1377 the sheriff has "his
own Compter " in this street ; in 1390 one Salamon Salaman, a mercer of Milk Street,
gets into trouble for having putrid fish in his possession ; and in 1391 one William of
Milk Street, no name or trade given, is falsely imprisoned by means of a conspiracy.
Milk Street in the thirteenth century was the residence of certain Jews. Thus
in 1247 Peter the Jew had a house there; and in 1250 leave was granted to
John Brewer to build a chapel in his house, formerly that of Benedict the Jew ; and
in 1285 Cresse the Jew had a house there. In 1294 Martin the Arbalestin lived in
Milk Street; and in 12S5 the mayor had his residence there, his house being rented
of the Prior of Lewes.
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street, formerly stood on the east side, towards the
south end of Milk Street, Cheapside. It was burnt down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being
annexed to that of St. Lawrence, Jewry. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1162.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's continuously
from 1 162, until it was burnt down, when the parish was annexed; the Dean and Chapter now share the
alternate patronage of the amalgamated parish (see Hist. INISS. Rept. ix. p. iS'"' 19"'' as to a lawsuit
concerning the patronage).
Houseling people in 1548 were 220.
Chantries were founded here by: Robert de Kelsey, about 1334, for himself, Julian his wife. Hen. de
Galeys, and Sara de Eldham, to which Hen. de Kelsey was admitted chaplain, September 5, 1336; the
above Robert de Kelsey endowed it with the " Caufare " in Westcheap, which fetched ^2) : 14 : 8 in 1548 ;
John Offam, whose endowment fetched ;^i4:9:6 in 1548, when William Baker was priest; Thomas
Kelsey, whose endowment fetched .1^12 : 13 : 4 in 1548.
A great number of the monuments in this church had been defaced by Stow's time. He records the
interment of Thomas Knesworth, mayor in 1505 ; Sir John Langley, mayor in 1576. No names of
benefactors are recorded by him.
Lawrence Bothe, Bishop of Durham 1457, of York 1476, was rector here; also John Bullingham
(d. 1598), Bishop of Gloucester.
Wood Street or Lane is the ne.xt important thoroughfare westward. It is
supposed by Stow to have been so called because it was built wholly of wood ; but
Stow suggests also an alternative derivation, that it may have been named after one
Thomas Wood, sheriff in 1491. The latter suggestion must be ruled out, because in
1394 a testator bequeathed his "mansion" in Wood Street. It is worthy of note
that the first mention of the street is of houses, rents, and tenements, and so it
continues until the end of the thirteenth century, when we begin to hear of shops ;
in 1349 a brewery is spoken of — the water, as in the case of Mugwell Street, must
have been furnished by one of the numerous City wells. There were many inns in
Wood Street : the Bell, the Coach and Horses, the Castle, and the Cross Keys.
The Castle is still commemorated in a stone slab.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 41
The Church of St. Michael, Wood Street, was sometimes called St. Michael Hogge or Huggen
from onaof that name who lived in the lane which runs down by the church. It was destroyed by the
Great Fire (with the exception of the steeple) and rebuilt by Wren, who completed it in 1675, when the
parish of St. Mary Staining was annexed. It was repaired in 1888, and taken down at the end of the nine-
teenth century. The earliest date of an incumbent is 11 50.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Abbot of St. Albans before 1 150 ; Henry ^■III.,
who seized it in 1540 and sold it in 1543 to ^Villiam Burwell ; John Marsh and others in trust for the
parish — it so continued up to 1666, when St. Mary Staining was annexed and the patronage was alternately
in the Crown and parishioners.
Houseling people in 1548 were 317.
The latest church was very plain and measured 63 feet in length, 42 feet in breadth, and 31 feet in
height. The east front had four Ionic pilasters supporting a pediment, and in the spaces between the
columns there were three circular-headed windows. The tower, which was connected with the church by
a porch, contained three stories, terminated by a parapet which was surmounted by a narrow spire with a
vane; the total height was 130 feet.
Richard de Basingstoke founded a chantry here before 1359, probably at the Altar of St. John
Baptist. Amongst those buried in the old church was Alderman John Lambarde, sheriff, 1551, who was
father to Stow's great friend William Lambard, the antiquary; he died in 1554. The church contained a
monument to Queen Elizabeth.
The legacies of charity left to the parish were : 8s. per annum, of which Lady Read was donor ;
5s. per annum, of which Mr. Hill was donor; £,2 for 20 years, of which Mr. Longworth Cross w^as donor;
£,\ per annum, of which Mr. Bowman was donor. There were also ground-rents amounting to ^^36 : 4s.
leased for 61 years.
Anthony Ellis or EUys (1690-1761), Bishop of St. David's, was a rector here; also Thomas Birch
(1705-66), Secretary to the Royal Society, 1752-65.
The modern Wood Street, for a considerable distance after Gresham Street,
is one series of immensely high warehouses, on which the vertical lines of bricks
between the plate-glass windows are the most prominent feature. The effect of
these lines is rather neat and workmanlike ; horizontally beneath the windows are
carved stone designs of flowers and fruit in very heavy relief. On the other side of
the street are the entries into Pickford's Yard under an old eighteenth-century house
of the plainer sort.
The Church of St. Alban, Wood Street, is too far north to fall within our
present section ; but as it belongs to this street it must find a place here.
ST. ALBAN, WOOD STREET
The Church of St. Alban, the only one remaining in this street, is on the west side, in the Cripplegate
Ward. In 1632 it was pulled down, but was rebuilt in 1634, probably by Inigo Jones, but was destroyed
by the Great Fire, and the present building is the work of Wren, who completed it in 1685. The earliest
date of an incumbent is 1 244.
The patronage of the church, as far as can be traced, was in the hands of: St. Alban's Abbey,
who exchanged it in 1077 to Westminster Abbey; St. James' Hospital, Westminster, presented before
1244; Provost and Fellows of Eton, 1477, with whom it remained up to 1666, when the parish of
St. Olave, Silver Street, was annexed and the patronage shared alternately with the Dean and Chapter
of St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
42 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The church is in a quasi-Gothic style and somewhat after the model of the church destroyed by the
Fire. It measured 33 feet in height, 66 feet in length, and 59 feet in breadth, and has two side aisles
divided from the central portion by clustered columns and flat pointed arches. The church terminates at
the east in an apse, containing three stained-glass windows. It has been greatly altered and modernised,
the most striking alteration being the formation of the apse and the substitution of three smaller windows
for the original large east window. The tower attains a height of 85 feet and terminates in an open
parapet ; it is surmounted by eight pinnacles of 7 feet each, giving a total altitude of 92 feet. On the
north side there is a small churchyard, separating the church from Little Love Lane.
There was a chantry founded here by Roger Poynel before 1366. The church formerly contained
monuments to Sir John Cheke (1514-57), tutor of Edward VI. and others.
The donors of charitable gifts were : William Peel, of St. Mary Savoy, who bequeathed an annuity of
;£io in 1623 for the use of the poor; Gilbert Keat ; Susan Ibel, ^40 for providing coals for the poor ;
Richard Wynne, ^20 to be distributed among eight poor people, at 2S. 6d. apiece ; Thomas Savage,
citizen and goldsmith, donor of premises in Holborn Bridge; Mr. Londson, ;£i :6s. per annum for bread
for the poor, through the Company of Embroiderers.
There was a charity school for fifty boys and twenty-five girls, supported by voluntary contributions
from the Church of St. Alban and others, from which the boys were apprenticed and the girls placed out
to service. The parish had in 1732 a workhouse hired in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate.
The following are some of the notable vicars of the church: William Watts (d. 1649), chaplain to
Charles I. ; John Adams (1662-1720), chaplain to William III. and Queen Anne.
Foster Lane was originally St. Vedast's. It is mentioned in a document of
I 28 1 as St. Pauster's, which was actually a corruption of St. Vedast's. It was, before
the Fire, a neighbourhood much frequented by goldsmiths and jewellers ; William
Fleetwood, Recorder of London in 157 i, dated some of his letters to Lord Burleigh
from Foster Lane.
St. Vedast's Church, commonly known as St. Fauster's or Foster's. It was severely damaged
by the Fire, and rebuilt by Wren ; the steeple was erected in 1697, the old one having been retained
until then. The parish was united after the Fire with St. Michael-le-Querne, and St. Matthew, Friday
Street, to which St. Peter, Westcheap, had been annexed. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1291.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of : The Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury; the Archbishop of Canterbury before 1396, in whose successors it continued up to 1666,
when the parish of St. Michael-le-Querne was annexed and the patronage was alternately shared with the
Uean and Chapter of St. Paul's up to 1882, when St. Matthew, Friday Street, with St. Peter, West-
cheap, were annexed; the patronage is now in the hands of the Bishop of London for two turns, the
Duke of Buccleugh for one turn.
Houseling people in 1548 were 460.
The church measures 69 feet in length, 5 1 feet in breadth, and 36 feet in height, and consists of
a nave and south aisle separated by arches supported on four Tuscan columns. The steeple, which
rises at the south-west, consists of a tower, surmounted by three stages, the lowest of which is concave, the
second convex, and the third an obelisk-shaped spire; the total height is about 160 feet.
Chantries were founded here : By Galfridus atte gate for himself and his wives Joan and Alice, about
1447, when Edmund Brennyng was admitted chaplain — the lands fetched ^8 : 6 : 8, which was augmented
by Christopher Tury and yielded in all ^14: los. in 1548, when John Markehame was priest, "of the
age of 59 years, of mean qualities and learning"; by \Villiam de Wyndesore for himself and Tolonia his
wife; by John de Wyndesore, brother of the above William; by Mr. Cote in 1530, who gave ^160 to
purchase lands for the endowing of it, which were not purchased, but one Mr. Hayton, in 1548, finds a
priest; by William Tryston, who endowed it ;^6:i4:4, which was augmented by Simon Atwoll to
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
43
^18:5:2 in 1548, when Albert Copeman was priest, "of the age of 39 years, of mean qualities and
mean learning."
John Longson, Master of the Mint, was buried in this church in 1583. Among the later interments
Stow records those of: William Fuller, D. D., Dean of Durham, who suffered imprisonment for his loyalty
in the times of the rebellion; Sir John Johnson, Alderman of the City, who died in 1698; and William
Hall, deputy of this ward, who died in 1680 ; Robert Herrick was baptized here in 1591. No legacies or
gifts are recorded by Stow.
'm^iriitf ir rfiM
Dra^tit /'vt'. Shi'/'herd.
LMl'KMI til' >r. VEDAST
Thomas Rotherham (1423-1500), afterwards Archbishop of York, was rector here; also Isaac
Maddox (1697-1759), Bishop of St. Asaph and of Worcester; Adam Moleynes (or Molyncux, d. 145°)'
LL.D., Bishop of Chichester, who was slain by the marines at Portsmouth, incited by Richard, Duke
of York; Thomas Blage (d. 161 1), Dean of Rochester; Nathaniel Marshall (d. 1730), Canon of
Windsor.
In Gresham Street, between Foster Lane and Gutter Lane corners, is the
Goldsmiths' Hall.
44 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
THE GOLDSMITHS COMPANY
The Goldsmiths Company is mentioned in the year iiSo, when it appears to have been a voluntary
association. It doubtless had its origin in a combination of goldsmiths, for their mutual protection, and
to guard the trade against fraudulent workers. In the year 1300 the existence of the Company is recognised
by a statute, viz., the 28th Edward I., cap. 80, which provides for the standards of gold and silver, and
enacts that all articles of those metals shall be assayed by the wardens of the craft, to whom certain powers
of search are also given.
The first of the Company's charters was granted to them by Edward III., in the first year of his
reign (1327).
It states that it had been theretofore ordained that all those who were of the goldsmiths' trade
should sit in their shops in the High Street of Cheap (Cheapside), and that no silver or plate, nor vessel
of gold or silver, ought to be sold in the City of London, except at the King's Exchange, or in the said
street of Cheap amongst the goldsmiths, and that publicly, to the end the persons of the said trade might
inform themselves whether the sellers came lawfully by such vessel or not ; that no gold or silver shall be
manufactured to be sent abroad but what shall be sold at the King's Exchange, or openly amongst the
goldsmiths, and that none pretending to be goldsmiths shall keep any shops but in Cheap.
By two subsequent charters Edward III. confirmed and extended the privileges before granted, and
he gave the Company licence to purchase and hold tenements and rents to the value of ^20 per annum,
for the relief of infirm members.
Richard II., by letters patent of the sixteenth of his reign, after reciting that Edward III. had allowed
the Company of the said craft to accept charitable donations, and to purchase estates as aforesaid, and that
they might retain a chaplain to celebrate Mass amongst them every day, confirmed the liberties granted by
Edward III. and granted and licensed the men of the craft that thenceforth they may be a perpetual
community or society amongst themselves.
Henry IV., by letters patent of his fifth year, recited and confirmed the preceding charters of
Edward III. and Richard II.
Henry VI., by letters patent of his first year, also recited and confirmed the charter of
Henry IV.
Edward IV., by letters patent of his second year, recited and confirmed the charters of his
predecessors.
Moreover, he granted that the said then wardens and their successors may be a corporation or body
corporate to consist of and be called the Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of
the City of London. That they may be capable in law to purchase, take, and hold in fee and perpetuity
lands, tenements, rents, and other possessions whatsoever of any persons whomsoever that shall be
willing to give, devise, and assign the same to them. That they may have perpetual succession and
a common seal.
Henry VII., by letters patent of the twentieth year of his reign, confirmed the whole of the preceding
charters, and on account of the Company being opposed in their trade search and assay, granted by Edward
IV., gave them the additional power to imprison or fine defaulters in the tiade at their discretion ; to
seize and break unlawful work ; to compel the trade, within three miles of the City, to bring their work
to the Company's common hall, to be assayed and stamped ; and gave them power for ever, when it was
not standard, to utterly condemn the same, without rendering account to the Crown.
The whole of the liberties and franchises granted to the Company by the preceding charters are set
forth and confirmed by inspeximus charters of ist of Henry VIII., ist of Edward VI., ist of Mary,
3rd of Elizabeth, 2nd of James I., and iSth of Charles 11.
The Company also received a charter from James II. dated 4th of May in the first year of his reign,
whereby, amongst other things, that monarch reserved to the Crown a right of control over the appoint-
ment of the wardens and clerk. The statute was made void by the Act of Parliament 2nd William and
Mary, cap. 8.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
45
The Company have also a copy of that part of the following patent which relates to their property,
viz. 4th of Edward VI. The King to Augustine Hynde, and others.
The Company have also an exemplification under the great seal of letters patent granted to them by
James I., in the seventeenth year of his reign (July 24, 161 9), confirming to them the possession of a
large quantity of property in the City of London.
The powers of the Company are exercised at the present time chiefly under the Acts of 12th George
II., cap. 26, and 7th and 8th Victoria, cap. 22.
As before stated, it appears that the Company was at first a voluntary association, and had for its
chief objects the protection of the mystery or craft of goldsmiths ; but it was evidently also formed for
religious and social purposes, and for the relief of the poor members.
The powers exercised by this voluntary association over the craft were subsequendy confirmed to
them by their charters. The wardens fined workmen for making wares worse than standard, entered their
shops and searched for and seized false wares, settled disputes between masters and apprentices, and
/■>(>;« a drawing by 1 hos. If. iifttptierti.
goldsmiths' hall, 1S35
frequently punished rebellious apprentices by flogging, levied heavy fines upon members for slander and
disobedience of the wardens, and for reviling members of the livery ; and generally exercised a very
powerful and absolute control, not only over the members of the fellowship, but also over all other persons
exercising the goldsmiths' trade.
For the purpose of the assay they had an assay oflSce in the early part of the fourteenth century.
The statute of 28th Edward I. enacts that no vessel of gold or silver shall depart out of the hands of the
workman until it is assayed by tlie wardens of the craft, and stamped with the leojjard's head ; the leopard
being at that time part of the royal arms of England.
The Company and its members, even at this early period, appear to have acted as bankers and
pawnbrokers. They received pledges, not only of plate, but of other articles, such as cloth of gold and
pieces of napery.
The London goldsmiths were divided into two classes, natives and foreigners. They inhabited
chiefly Cheapside, Old Change, Lombard -Street, Foster Lane, St. Martin's -le-Ckand, Silver Street,
Goldsmiths' Street, Wood Street, and the lanes about Goldsmiths' Hall. Cheapside was their principal
place of residence ; the part of it on the south side, extending from Bread Street to the Cross, was called
" the Goldsmiths' Row." The shops here were occupied by goldsmiths, and here the Company possess
46 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
many houses at the present time. The Exchange for the King's coin was close by, in what is now called
Old Change.
The native and foreign goldsmiths appear to have been divided into classes, and to have enjoyed
different privileges. First, there were the members of the Company, who were chiefly, but not exclusively.
Englishmen ; their shops were subject to the control of the Company ; they had the advantages conferred
by the Company on its members, and they made certain payments for the support of the fellowship. The
second division comprised the non-freemen, who were called " Allowes," that is to say, allowed or licensed.
There were the "Allowes Englis," "Allowes Alicant," "Alicant Strangers," "Dutchmen," " Men of the
Fraternity of St. Loys," etc. All these paid tribute to the Company, and were also subject to their control.
The quarterage paid by the members, and the tribute so paid by the " Allowes," constituted the Company's
original income. We find frequent mention of efforts made by the English goldsmiths to prevent foreign
goldsmiths from settling in London, but they did not succeed. The wise men of the craft probably knew
that the best artists were foreigners, and were willing to profit by observation of their works and mode of
working. In 1445, thirty-four persons, who were strangers, were sworn, and paid 2S. a head. In 1447
Carlos Spaen paid ;^8 : 6 : 8 to the alms of St. Dunstan, to be admitted a freeman, and in 151 1 John
de Loren paid ;^20 for the same object.
The wardens also frequently obliged foreigners applying for the freedom to produce testimonials from
the authorities of the towns abroad where they had resided.
The government of the trade under the Company's charters continued up to the reign of Charles
the Second. But some time before this period, and in the interval between it and the passing
of the Act of the 12th George II., cap. 26, the powers which had been granted to the Company began
to be questioned, and the Company experienced difficulty in putting them into force. In 173S the
Company considered it expedient to obtain an Act of Parliament.
And the 12th George II., cap. 26, passed in 1739, was prepared by the officers of the Company,
brought into Parliament by them, with the assent of the government of the time, and all the cost of
soliciting it and getting it passed was paid for by the Company, although it is a public Act.
Under this Act the Assay Office is regulated. The Company are empowered thereby to make
charges for the assaying and marking plate sufficient only to defray the expenses of the office, and
are prohibited from making any profit thereby or deriving any pecuniary advantage therefrom.
It may here be mentioned that at a very early period we find members of the governing body of
the Company, both wardens and assistants, who were not of the craft. Amongst others, the leading
bankers, themselves the descendants in trade of the old goldsmiths, from the time of the Stuarts to
the present time, have been some of the most conspicuous members of the body. Amongst them we find
the names of Sir Martin Bowes, who was Master of the Mint in the reign of Elizabeth ; Sir Hugh Myddelton,
the enterprising founder of the New River ; Sir Francis Child, of Temple Bar ; Sir Charles Buncombe,
Sir James Pemberton, Sir Robert Vyner ; and in the 19th century, Robert Williams and Thomas Halifax,
Henry Sykes Thornton, William Banbury, John Charles Salt, Herbert Barnard, William Newmarch,
William Cunliffe Brooks, Robert Ruthven Pym, Arthur B. Twining, Charles Hoare, and Robert
Williams, jun.
It remains to mention the connection of the Company with the coinage of the realm in what is
called the trial of the Py.x, an office which has been performed by the Company ever since the reign
of Edward I. Its object is to ascertain that the metal of which the gold and silver money coined by
the Mint is composed is standard, and that the coins themselves are of the prescribed weight.
This duty was performed in ancient times at uncertain intervals, and usually had for its immediate
object the giving an acquittance to the Mint Master, who was bound to the Crown by indentures to
coin money of the prescribed fineness and weight. But the Coinage Act of 1870 provides for and
establishes an annual trial, and since that date the Pyx has been brought to Goldsmiths' Hall and
tried annually.
In 1900, for the first time, at the request of H.M.'s Treasury, a Pyx from each of the Colonial Mints
coining Imperial Coinage was tried.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 47
Formerly a jury of competent freemen, summoned by the wardens, was charged by the Lord
Chancellor, who subsequently received their verdict.
The jury is sworn by the Crown Remembrancer, who, the trial having been made and the verdict
of the jury reduced to writing, attends at the Hall and receives them ; after which their names are
published in the Gazette.
The number of the livery is 150. The Hall is in Foster Lane.
Privileges of membership :
A freeman of the Company has no advantages as such, except that if he be a deserving man
and in need of pecuniary assistance he is eligible to receive, and would certainly receive, aid from the
Company, either by pension or donation.
When the Guild first had a Hall we know not, but the Hall has stood on its present site for upwards
of 550 years.
About 1340, land and a house at St. Vedast Lane and Ing Lane' corner, formerly belonging
to Sir Nicholas de Segrave, was bought. This land still underlies part of the present Hall, and was
in the midst of the gold- and silver-smiths' quarter. In 1407, Sir Dru Barentine built the Goldsmiths a
second Hall, wherefrom a gallery led to his house. Within the great hall were arras hangings, streamers,
banners, tapestried benches, worked cushions, and a screen bearing their patron's (St. Dunstan's) silver-
gilt statue bejewelled. There were chambers, parlour, 'say-house, chapel with coloured hangings, great
kitchen, vaults, granary, armoury, clerk's house, beadle's house, assayer's house. This Hall decayed.
Borrowing money, they built a third and larger, 1635-40, Stone being surveyor.
After the Great Fire they repaired and partly rebuilt their Hall, 1666-69, raising money slowly.
Jarman was architect. The buildings, brick and stone, surrounded a paved quadrangle entered through
the Doric archway in Foster Lane.
The great hall was " magnificent " with marbled floor, moulded ceiling, pillared screen, high
wainscot, painted banners, costly plate. Within 140 years they found this Hall decaying. They
pulled it down and built the present (fourth) Hall in 1830-35, Philip Hardwick being architect.
Like the Drapers, the Goldsmiths Company has taken up the cause of Technical Higher Education.
On the west side of Foster Lane stood also St. Leonard's Church, which was the parish church
for St. Martin's-le-Grand. It was burnt down in the Great Fire and its parish annexed to that of
Christ Church, Newgate Street. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1291.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: the Dean and Canons of St. Martin's-le-Grand,
1291 ; the Abbot and Convent of Westminster, 1509 ; Henry VIII., who seized it in 1540; the Dean and
Chapter of Westminster, 1553-54, in whose successors it continues, they being the alternate patrons of
Christ Church, Newgate Street.
Houseling people in 1548 were 452.
A chantry was founded here by and for William de Wyndesore, at the Altar of Virgin Mary,
before 1368, when his endowment fetched ^3 : 13:4. There are few charities recorded by Stow.
The church of St. Mary Staining was situated on the north side of Oat Lane, Foster Lane,
and derived its name Staining from Painter Stainers dwelling there; or, according to some from stein,
the Saxon for stone, other churches being built of wood. It was repaired and redecorated in 1630,
and was burnt down in the Great Fire, but not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of St. Michael,
Wood Street ; the site of this church was made a burying-ground. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1270.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prioress and Convent of St. Mary,
Clerkenwell; Henry VIII., and so continued in the Crown till the Great Fire, when the parish was
annexed to St. Michael, Wood Street.
Houseling people in 1548 were 98.
1 Now Foster Lane and Gresham Street respectively.
48 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Two monuments only are recorded by Stow, one in memory of George Smithes, goldsmith
and alderman, who died in 1615, and the other of Sir Arthur Savage, knighted at Cadiz in 1596, who
was General of Queen Elizabeth's forces in France at the siege of Amiens ; he died in 1632.
The parish received three legacies, payable yearly, namely: 15s. 6d. from Lady Read and Mr. Hill;
;£i : 4s. from Mr. Lawne ; and is. bd. from Mr. Dean.
What Gresham Street is on the north of our present section, so Watling
Street is on the south. It runs roughly parallel with Cheapside and Poultry.
Stow says of it :
"Then for Watheling Street, which Leland called Atheling, or Noble Street;
but since he showeth no reason why, I rather take it to be so named of that
great highway of the same calling. True it is that at the present the inhabitants
thereof are wealthy drapers, retaillers of woollen cloths, both broad and narrow,
of all sorts, more than in any one street of this city."
How came Watling Street, the old country road, into the City? The old
Roman road, as it approached the Thames, passed down the Edgware Road.
Where is now the Marble Arch it divided into two, of which the older part
crossed the marsh, and so over Thorney Island ? The other ran along what is
now Oxford Street and Holborn.
It then crossed the valley of the Fleet and entered the City at the New
Gate. If now we draw a line from Newgate to London Stone, just south of its
present position, we shall find that it passes the north-east course of St. Paul's
precinct, cutting it off, so to speak, and meets the present Watling Street where it
bends to the south of Bow Lane ; it then follows the old Budge Row as far as the
Stone. That was the original Watling Lane of the City. The Saxons, however,
who found the streets a mass of confused ruins, built over part of the old Watling,
and continued it as far as the south-east course of St. Paul's. The street has few
antiquities apart from its churches.
There is no mention of Watling Street in Riley's Memorials.
In the Calendar of Wills we find shops in this street in 1307, a brewery in
1341, a widow's mansion in 1349, and shops in 1361, "lands, tenements, and rents "
in 1373, a house called " le Strelpas " in 1397. The other references to Watling
Street are those of " tenements " only.
The yearly procession of the City rectors with the mayor and aldermen
started from St. Peter's, Cornhill, marched along Chepe as far as St. Paul's
Churchyard, turning to the south and so to " Watling Street Close," which was
the eastern entrance to the churchyard.
After the Fire, while the rubbish was being cleared away, on the east of the
street were discovered nine wells in a row. They were supposed to have belonged
to a street of houses from Watling Street to Cheapside. But one hardly expects
to find a well in every house.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
49
In Watling Street and its continuation, Budge Row, were the following
churches, beginning at the west end : St. Augustine's ; Allhallows, Bread Street ;
St. Mary Aldermary ; St. Anthony's. For St. Augustine's see p. 62, and for All-
hallows see p. 58.
ST. MARY ALDERMARY
The Church of St. Mary Aldermary stands in a triangle formed by Bow Lane, Queen Victoria Street,
and Watling Street. It is called Alder, Older, or Elder, Mary, from its being the oldest church in the City
having that dedication. Sir Henry Keble, Lord Mayor in 15 10, began to rebuild it, and left at his death
;!^iooo towards its completion; this was augmented by William Rodoway and Richard Pierson in 1626.
The building was destroyed by the Great Fire, but rebuilt by Wren in 1681-82. For this purpose the
legacy of .^{^5000 was applied, which had been left by Henry Rogers for the rebuilding of a church ;
stipulation, however, was made that the new church should be an exact imitation of Keble's, so that Wren
was forced to adopt methods very different from his own. The building was greatly restored in 1876-77.
The church now serves for four parishes — its original one, that of St. Thomas the Apostle, of St. Antholin,
and of St. John the Baptist. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1233.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of Henry UL, 1233 ; the Prior and Chapter of Christ
Church, Canterbury, 1288, who exchanged it with the Archbishop of Canterbury, 1401, in whose successors
it continued up to 1666, when the parish of St. Thomas was annexed; and thus the Archbishop shared
the patronage alternately with the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 1548 were 400.
The church is in the Tudor style of architecture, and consists of a nave, chancel, and two side aisles,
separated from the central part by clustered columns and slightly pointed arches. It is 100 feet long,
63 feet broad, and about 45 feet high. The north side of the chancel is longer than the south, which
gives the church a somewhat curious appearance. The tower, the upper portion of which was rebuilt
about 1 701, contains four storeys, with an open parapet, and is surmounted by four pinnacles. The
total height is 135 feet.
Sir Henry Keble, the founder of the original church, was buried here, and a monument erected
to him in 1534 ; also Sir William Laxton, mayor, 1556, and Henry Gold, one of the rectors here, who
was executed at Tyburn in 1534. "The Holy Maid of Kent " was also buried here. The monuments
in the present church are of little interest. Over the west door there is a Latin inscription recording the
munificence of Henry Rogers. Mr Garret gave ^100 to the lecturer of this church, to endure as
long as the Gospel was preached. The particulars of the numerous other gifts and charities did not
come into the possession of Stow. There were two almshouses for the poor of the Salters Company, who
are four in number, each of whom has an allowance of is. per week.
Thomas Browne (d. 1673), chaplain to Charles I., was rector here; also Robert Gell (1595-1665),
Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge; Offspring Blackall (1654-1716), Bishop of E.\eter ; White
Kennett (1660-1728), Bishop of Peterborough ; Henry Ware, Bishop of Chichester ; Henry Gold, who was
executed at Tyburn, 1534; George Lavington, D.l). (1684-1762), Bishop of Exeter.
Budge Row, northward, was spelt Begerow in 1376. Of it Stow says: "So
called of Budge fur and the Skinners dwelling there."
At the south-western corner of Sise Lane, in Budge Row, there is a rectangular
railed-in space about a dozen feet by si.\, sheltered by the corner of the adjoining
house. Against the wall, facing eastward, is a monument in stone of considerable
size. Two columns with Corinthian capitals support an architrave, and enclose a
50 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
view in slight relief of St. Antholin's as it was. Beneath the view are the
words :
Here stood the parish church of St. Antholin, destroyed in the Great Fire, a.d. 1666, rebuilt 1677
by Sir Christopher Wren, architect.
On the bases of the columns are inscribed the names of the churchwardens of
St. Antholin's and St. John Baptist's, Walbrook, respectively. While the following
inscription is beneath :
The change of population in the City during two centuries rendering the church no longer necessary,
it was taken down a.d. 1875, under the Act of Parliament for uniting City Benefices; the funds derived
from the sale of the site were devoted in part to the Restoration of the neighbouring church of St. Mary
Aldermary, where are also erected the monumental tablets removed from St. Antholin, and the erection
at Nunhead of another church dedicated to St. Antholin greatly needed in that thickly populated district.
And again, right across the bases of the pillars and the stone, run the words :
In a vault beneath are deposited the greater part of the human remains removed from the Old
church. The remainder are laid in a vault in the City of London Cemetery at Ilford, where also a
monument marks the place of interment.
The Church of St. Anthony or Antholin stood on the north side of Budge Row, at the corner
of Shoe Lane, in Cordwainer Street Ward. It derived its name from being dedicated to St. Anthony
of Vienna, who had a cell here founded by Henry II., but it is not known when the church was first built.
About 1399 it was rebuilt, and again in 1513, but the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed it. From Wren's
design it was rebuilt, and completed in 1682 ; it was remarkable for its tower, with a spire all of freestone.
In 1874 the building (except the steeple) was taken down, and in 1S76 the steeple was also demolished,
the materials of which were sold for ^5. The earliest date of an incumbent is i iSi.
The patronage of the church was always in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's,
who granted one part to John, son of Wizo the goldsmith, about 1 141.
Houseling people in 1548 were 240.
In 1623 a very beautiful gallery was added to the church, every division of which (52 in number)
was filled with the arms of kings, queens, and princes of the kingdom, from Edward the Confessor to
Frederick, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
Chantries were founded here by : Nicholas Bole, citizen and skinner, at the Altar of St. Katherine,
to which William Pykon was admitted chaplain, 1390, on the resignation of Richard Hale — the endowment
fetched p£^6; 13:4 in 154S, when Robert Smythe was chaplain; John Grantham, whose endowment
fetched ^£4 in 1548.
In this church Thomas Hind and Hugh Acton, benefactors to the parish, were buried. There was
also a monument to William Daunsey, mercer and alderman of the City.
Some of the donors of gifts and charities were : the Mercers and Drapers, of ^6 respectively ; Sir
William Craven and William Parker, ;^ioo, to which ^i 18 were added by the parishioners, for establishing
a daily lecture. There were a considerable number of charities in this parish.
Among the rectors of this church were William Colwyn, who made a recantation at St. Paul's
Cross, Advent 1541, and Thomas Lamplugh (1615-91), Archbishop of York.
On the opposite side of the street extends for some way a really old brick
building, evidently built immediately after the Fire. Over a centre window is a
curved pediment of brickwork. Beneath, an opening leads into a yard, and the
building is used by Stationers. The west side of the lane is modern.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 51
St. PancraS Lane was formerly Needlers' Lane. The church, the parish,
the chantries and endowments, and the parishioners are mentioned frequently in the
Calendar of Wills. The earliest entry there is of a.d. 1273, where John Hervy
bequeaths to Juliana his daughter his mansion in the parish of St. Pancras, and to
his daughter Johanna his shop in the parish of Colechurch. The Lane, except that
it contained two parish churches, was of little importance.
Pancras Lane is an open space, once the graveyard of St. Pancras, Soper Lane.
The houses are dull brick and stucco. The graveyard bears a great similarity to all
that is left of the others ; it is covered with dingy gravel and decorated by blackened
evergreens. The iron gate bears a little shield telling that it was erected in 1886.
There are one or two tombs still left.
The Church of St. Pancras, Soper Lane, stood near a street called Soper Lane, but since the Fire
called Queen Street. It was repaired 1621, and in 1624 Thomas Chapman the younger built a porch to
it. The building was destroyed by the Great Fire, when its parish was annexed to that of St. Mary-le-Bow.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 131 2.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury, who granted it, April 25, 1365, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in whose successors it
continued up to 1666, when the church was destroyed in the Great Fire and the parish annexed to
St. Mary-le-Bow.
Houseling people in 1548 were 146.
Chantries were founded here by : John Causton at the Altar of St. Anne, which was augmented by
Simon Rice and Lettice his wife, before 1356, to which William de la Temple was presented by the King,
January 10, 1374-75 — the endowment was valued at ;^i3 in 1548, when Adam Arnolde was priest;
Margaret Reynolds, who bequeathed .£^233 : 6 : 8, which the Mercers had, and guaranteed a rent charge of
.;^8 : 13 : 4 for the same to find a priest.
The church originally contained monuments to John Stockton, mercer and mayor, 1470; Richard
Gardener, mercer and mayor, 1478 ; and Thomas Knowles, twice Lord Mayor.
Two charitable gifts are recorded by Stow, the donors of which were Thomas Chapman, whose
benefaction was lost by Stow's time, and Thomas Chapman his son, to the amount of ;^i i ; 3 : 8.
Only a few steps farther on is another melancholy little spot, with a stone slab
on the wall near with inscription as follows: " Before the dreadful Fire, Anno 1666,
stood the church of St. Benet Sherehog." The railing and low wall were put up in
1842. Within the enclosure stands a tomb over the "Family Vault of Michael
Davison, 1676."
The church was called St. Benet Sherehog", from one Benedict Shorne, or Shrog, or Shorehog,
who was connected with it in the reign of Edward IL It was repaired in 1628, but destroyed by the
Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to St. Stephen, Walbrook, and its site made into a
burying-ground. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1285.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Prior and Convent of St. Mary Overy, of
Southwark, 1324; then the Crown, since Henry VHI. seized it in 1542.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
Chantries were founded here : For Ralph le Fever and Lucy his wife— the endowment fetched
£z:\\:Z in 1548, when Anthony Gyplyn, lately deceased, had been priest; for Thomas Romayn and
Julia his wife, to which John de Loughebourgh was admitted, August 12, 1326.
52 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Edward Hall, who wrote the large chronicle from Richard II. to Henry ^^III., was buried here.
The church formerly contained a monument to Sir Ralph Warren, twice Lord Mayor of London, who died
in 1553. Mrs. Katherine Philips of Cardigan, the poetess, who died in 1664, was also buried here.
Only one charitable gift is recorded by Stow in this parish, that of ;^5 per annum left by Mr. Davison
for keeping his family vault in repair. Some of this was used for charitable purposes.
John Wakering (d. 1425), Bishop of Norwich, was rector here.
Queen Street was constructed in part after the Fire, and covers the old
Soper Lane, so called from the soap-makers who formerly lived here (though Stow
wants to derive the name from an ancient resident). The south end, leading to the
river, seems to have been the later part.
Soper Lane is mentioned in the Calendar of U'i//s as early as 1259, when
Nicholas Bat, a member of. the old City family of that name, bequeathed to his wife
rents in Sopers' Lane.
Here, in 1297, there sprang up an evening market — "Eve Chepynge " — called
the New Fair. It was established against the knowledge of the mayor by
"strangers, foreigners, and beggars," and was the cause of many deeds made
possible by selling in the dark, and of much strife and violence. Therefore it was
abolished.
In the reign of Edward II. Soper Lane was the market-place of the
Pepperers ; seventy years later of the Curriers and Cordwainers. In the reign of
Queen Mary there were many shops here for the sale of pies.
In the year 1316 the "good folks in Soper Lane, of the trade of Pepperers,"
agreed upon certain regulations for the observance of the trade and the prevention
of dishonesty.
In 1375 we find cordwainers between Soper Lane and the Conduit.
The name of Size Lane is derived from St. Osyth.
For Bucklersbury we will first let Stow speak :
" Bucklersbury, so called of a manor and tenements pertaining to one Buckle,
who there dwelt and kept his courts. This manor is supposed to be the great stone
building, yet in part remaining on the south side of the street, which of late time
hath been called the Old Barge, of such a sign hanged out near the gate thereof.
This manor or great house hath of long time been divided and letten out into many
tenements ; and it hath been a common speech, that when Walbrooke did lie open,
barges were rowed out of the Thames, or towed up so far, and therefore the place
hath ever since been called the Old Barge.
" Also on the north side of this street, directly over against the said Bucklersbury,
was one ancient and strong tower of stone, the which tower King Edward III., in
the 1 8th of his reign, by the name of the king's house, called Cornet stoure in
London, did appoint to be his Exchange of money there to be kept. In the 29th he
granted it to Frydus Guynysane and Landus Bardoile, merchants of Luke, for
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 53
twenty pounds the year. And in the 32nd he gave the same tower to his college or
free chapel of St. Stephen at Westminster, by the name of Cornet Stoure at
Bucklersbury in London. This tower of late years was taken down by one Buckle,
a grocer, meaning in place thereof to have set up and built a goodly frame of timber ;
but the said Buckle greedily labouring to pull down the old tower, a part thereof fell
upon him, which so sore bruised him that his life was thereby shortened, and
another that married his widow set up the new prepared frame of timber, and
finished the work.
" This whole street called Bucklersbury on both the sides throughout is possessed
of grocers and apothecaries towards the west end thereof: on the south side
breaketh out one other short lane called in records Peneritch street ; it reacheth but
to St. Sythe's Lane, and St. Sythe's church is the farthest part thereof, for by the west
end of the said church beginneth Needler's Lane, which reacheth to Soper Lane, as
is aforesaid" (Stow's Szirvey, p. 276).
The origin of the name of Bucklersbury is Bukerel, and not Buckle ; Bukerel
was the name of an old City family. Andrew Bukerel was mayor from 1 231 to 1236.
Many Roman antiquities, pavements, bronzes, Samian ware, spoons, etc., have
been found in Bucklersbury. A bronze armlet also found there may belong to
pre-Roman times. The street is mentioned in many ancient documents, beginning
with the thirteenth century. In the fifteenth century there were tenements here
known as " Sylvestre tour" assigned by the Dean of St. Stephen, Westminster, to
the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, druggists, furriers, herbalists,
and tobacconists had shops in Bucklersbury.
In 1688 there was a Roman Catholic chapel in Bucklersbury, which was one of
those destroyed or burned by the mob, chiefly consisting of London apprentices,
during the riots pending the arrival of the Prince of Orange.
An argument between the Dean and Canons of St. Paul's and a carpenter of
Bucklersbury shows that the parish of St. Benet Sherehog was called in 1406 the
parish of St. Osyth, in which part of Bucklersbury stood. In 1455 the former name
is given to the parish.
Bucklersbury was cut in two when Queen Victoria Street was made. The
upper portion consists chiefly of large modern many-windowed business houses.
Near the north-east corner there is an old brick house containing part of Pimm's
restaurant. In the southern half Barge Yard is modern. The Bourse Buildings,
occupied by a great number of engineers, accountants, and business men of all sorts,
take up a large part of the street.
Passing westward we come to Bow Lane, which was formerly called in the
lower part Hosier Lane, from the trade of those who occupied it, and in the upper
part, for a similar reason, Cordwainers' Street.
54 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The street spoken of in the Calendar of li'i/Is by the name of Hosier Lane
belonged to the parish of St. Sepulchre without the wall. The same street is
mentioned in Riley's Me}}iorials.
For the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow see p. lo.
In its modern aspect Bow Lane is not uninteresting.
A covered entry, inappropriately named New Court, leads into a fascinating
corner. There is a gateway really and ruinously old ; it is said to have survived the
Fire. The ironwork pattern is lost now in meaningless and broken twists, though
there is a semblance of what might have been a monogram over the centre gate.
The houses all round the court evidently date from the period directly after the Fire.
That facing the street is of red brick toned by age, and is said to have been the
residence of a Lord Mayor. The others are of dark brick, picked out in red.
No. 5 contains the offices of the Financial World.
Beyond it a narrow passage leads at an angle round to the churchyard. A
more spacious way runs beside the church itself At the corner of this is a polished
granite drinking fountain, erected in 1859, supporting green painted dolphins.
In the churchyard a scene of confusion and turmoil daily takes place on the
pavement which lies over the bones of the "ancient dead." Great wooden crates
and packing-cases are littered about. They are from that large modern building on
the west, facing the church, belonging to warehousemen and manufacturers. But
one old seventeenth-century house, of a date immediately succeeding the Fire,
remains, on the south side of the churchyard, facing Cheapside. Its quiet blackened
bricks and flat windows have beheld many a change of scene on the stage before it.
The ground-floor windows and doorway are connected by an ornamental cornice.
The red bricks of the church in Bow Lane contrast with a long narrow building of
the eighteenth century which is squeezed against them. These contrast with the
gaping cellars and basements of the more modern buildings.
Of Bread Street there is very early mention. In 1204 the leprous women of
St. James's received a charter respecting a certain tenement in Chepe, at the head of
Bread Street; in 1290 this tenement again becomes the subject of a charter. In i 263
there was a fire which consumed a part of Bread Street.
" So called of bread in old time there sold : for it appeareth by records, that in
the year 1302, which was the 30th of Edward I., the bakers of London were bound
to sell no bread in their shops or houses, but in the market : and that they should
have four hall-motes in the year, at four several terms, to determine of enorniities
belonging to the said Company.
" Bread Street is now wholly inhabited by rich traders ; and divers fair inns
be there, for good receipt of carriers and other travellers to the city. It appears in
the will of Edward Stafford, Earl of Wyltshire, dated the 22nd of March, 1498, and
14 Hen. VII., that he lived in a house in Bread-street in London, which belonged to
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 55
the family of Stafford, Duke of Bucks afterwards ; he bequeathing all the stuff in
that house to the Lord of Buckingham, for he died without issue " (Strype, vol. i.
pp. 686-687).
The bakers gave continual trouble to the City by their light-weight loaves and
their bad bread. When they were " wanted " by the alderman they gat themselves
out of the City and to their hills beyond the jurisdiction of the mayor. It was
ordained, in order to meet this difficulty, that the servants who sell the bread thus
complained of should be punished as if they were masters. It was also discovered
that "hostelers and habergeons" bought bread in the market and sold it to their
guests at a profit. This was not allowed in mediaeval times. It was ordered that
every loaf was to be bought of a baker, with his special stamp, and sold at the price
regulated by the assize of bread.
But there were others besides bakers who used the market of Bread Street,
Cheapside ; it became a place for cooks. In 1351, one Henry Pecche bought a
caper pasty of Henry de Passelowe, cook at the Stocks, and found on opening it
that the fowl was putrid. The case coming before the mayor, experts were called
in, among them six cooks of Bread Street and three of Ironmonger Lane. The
story shows how the exclusive character of a market had to be broken up for the
conveniences of the people. Here we have cooks carrying on their trade in three
different parts of the great rnarket of Chepe. A few years later, one of the Bread
Street cooks, John Welburgh Man by name, was convicted by the evidence of his
neighbours of selling a pie of conger, knowing the fish to be bad.
In 1595 a singular discovery was made at the north-east end of this street. In
the construction of a vault was found, 15 feet deep, a "fair" pavement, and at the
farther end a tree sawed into five steps — Stow says: "which was to step over
some brook running out of the west towards Walbrooke ; and upon the edge of
the said brook, as it seemeth, there were found lying along the bodies of two
threat trees, the ends whereof were then sawed off, and firm timber as at the first
when they fell, part of the said trees remain yet in the ground undigged. It was
all forced ground until they went past the trees aforesaid, which was about seventeen
feet deep or better ; thus much hath the ground of this city in that place been raised
from the main."
The first turning to the east going down Bread Street was, until recently, called
the Spread Eagle Court. One of the corner houses of this court is supposed to
have been the work-place of John Milton, whose father traded under the sign of
the "Spread Eagle." He was baptized in the church of Allhallows. House and
church were destroyed in the Fire, but the register remains.
On the corner house between Watling and Bread Streets is a stone slab fixed
to the wall ; this bears a bust of the poet in alto relievo. The rest of the building,
which runs along Watling Street as far as Red Lion Court, is in new red brick,
56 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
dated 1878. It has ornamental brickwork and festoons here and there, and the roof
terminates in curiously shaped gables, some of which follow the old shell pattern.
The doorways and windows are carried out in stone. The penthouse pediment over
Milton's bust is also in brick. Beneath, two little red cherubs hold a laurel wreath.
Below the head is the one word — Milton ; and lower follows the inscription :
Born in Bread Street, 1608.
Baptized in the Church of Allhallows, which stood here ante 1678.
The Mermaid, like many other London inns, stood in a court with an
entrance from Friday Street and from Bread Street.
On the west side of Bread Street, on a site which, when Stow wrote, was
occupied by " large houses for merchants and fair inns for passengers," stood the
Bread Street Compter, one of the two sheriffs' prisons. As we have seen, it was
later removed to Wood Street.
Behind St. Mildred's Church stood Gerard's Hall, the entrance from Basing
Lane. Of this place Stow speaks at length :
" On the south side of this lane is one great house, of old time built upon arched
vaults, and with arched gates of stone, brought from Caen in Normandy. The same
is now a common hostrey for receipt of travellers, commonly and corruptly called
Gerards hall, of a giant said to have dwelt there. In the high-roofed hall of this
house sometime stood a large fir pole, which reached to the roof thereof, and was
said to be one of the staves that Gerard the giant used in the wars to run withal.
There stood also a ladder of the same length, which (as they say) served to ascend
to the top of the staff. Of later years this hall is altered in building, and divers
rooms are made in it. Notwithstanding, the pole is removed to one corner of the
hall, and the ladder hanged broken upon a wall in the yard. The hosteler of that
house said to me, ' the pole lacketh half a foot of forty in length ' : I measured the
compass thereof, and found it fifteen inches.
"I read that John Gisors, mayor of London in the year 1245, was owner
thereof, and that Sir John Gisors, knight, mayor of London, and constable of the
Tower 131 1, and divers others of that name and family, since that time owned it.
William Gisors was one of the sheriffs 1329. More, John Gisors had issue, Henry
and John ; which John had issue, Thomas ; which Thomas deceasing in the year
1350, left unto his son Thomas his messuage called Gisor's Hall, in the parish of
St. Mildred in Bread Street: John Gisors made a feoffment thereof, 1386, etc. So
it appeareth that this Gisor's Hall, of late time by corruption hath been called
Gerard's Hall for Gisor's Hall ; as Bosom's inn for Blossom's inn, Bevis Marks
for Buries Marks, Marke Lane, for Marte Lane, Belliter Lane for Belsetter's Lane,
Gutter Lane for Guthuruns Lane, Cry Church for Christ's Church, St. Michel in the
Ouerne for St. Michel at corne, and sundry such others. Out of this Gisor's Hall, at
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
57
the first building thereof, were made divers arched doors, yet to be seen, which
seem not sufficient for any great monster, or other man of common stature to pass
through, the pole in the hall might be used of old time (as then the custom was in
every parish), to be set up in the summer as May-pole, before the principal house
in the parish or street, and to stand in the hall before the screen, decked with holme
and ivy, at the feast of Christmas. The ladder served for the decking of the may-
pole and roof of the hall. Thus much for Gisor's hall, and for that side of Bread
street, may suffice " (Stow's Survey, 393-394).
GfcKAKiJ;. HALl. CRYPT IN I795
The crypt of this house escaped the Fire. On its site was erected an inn
called Gerard's Hall, which contained seventy-eight bedrooms, and was one of
the principal hotels of the City. The whole was removed for the construction of
Cannon Street ; Basing Lane, which ran from Bread Street to Bow Lane, dis-
appeared at the same time.
ST. MILDRED, BREAD STREET
The Church of St. Mildred, Bread Street, still stands. It is on the east side of the street, a little to
the south of Cannon Street, and is supposed to have been rebuilt in 1300 by Lord Trenchaunt, of
58 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
St. Alban's, knight, whose monument was in the church. It was destroyed by the Great Fire and rebuilt
by Wren in 1683, when the parish of St. Margaret Moses was annexed. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1 1 70.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of St. Mary Overy,
Southwark, who had it in 1300, and granted it to John Incent and John Oliver, 1333 ; the above Prior and
Convent.
Houseling people in 1548 were 216.
The present church measures 62 feet in length, and 36 feet in breadth, while the total height, to the
summit of the cupola, is 52 feet. The interior remains practically in its original state. The carvings
about the altar-piece and pulpit are attributed to Grinling Gibbons. The steeple, which rises at the
south-east, consists of a plain brick tower, lantern, and slender spire culminating in a ball and vane. The
total height is 140 feet, but only the upper portion is visible, owing to the buildings surrounding it.
A chantry was founded here by Stephen Bull, citizen, of which Thomas Chapman was chaplain,
April 26, 1453.
The church originally contained monuments to : Lord Trenchaunt, a great benefactor, who was
buried here about 1300; also Sir John 'Shadworth, mayor, 1401, who gave a parsonage house and other
gifts to the church. Here too John Ireland and Ellis Crispe were buried in 1614 and 1625, the
grandfather and father of Sir Nicholas Crispe, the devoted adherent of Charles I., who is greatly eulogised
for his loyalty by Dr. Johnson ; he died in 1666.
Few details of the charities belonging to the parish are recorded by Stow ; Thomas Langham and
Mr. Coppinger being the only names mentioned besides those commemorated by monuments.
Thomas Mangey (1688-1755), D.D., Prebendary of Durham, was a rector here; also Hugh Oldham
(d. 15 19) of Exeter.
The Church of Allhallows, Bread Street, stood on the east side of the street. In 1625 the
building was repaired, but ruined by the Great Fire shortly after. It was subsequently rebuilt. In 1878
it was taken down. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1284.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church,
Canterbury; Archbishop of Canterbury, April 24, 1365, by gift (1284-85) from the above, in whose
successors it continued up to 1666, when St. John's, Watling Street, was annexed to it, these being annexed
to St. Mary-le-Bow by Order in Council dated July 21, 1876.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
On the south side of the chancel there was a small part of the church, called "The Salters' Chapel,"
containing a window with the figure of the donor, Thomas Beaumont, wrought upon it. The church
originally had a steeple, but in 1559 it was destroyed by lightning and not restored. The King granted a
licence to Roger Paryt and Roger Stagenhow to found a guild in honour of our Lord, April 12, 1394
(Pat. 17 Rd. II. p. 2 m. 15). Some of the most notable monuments were those of Thomas Beaumont of
the Company of Salters, John Dunster, a benefactor of the church, and Arthur Baron.
The following were among the numerous benefactors: David Cocke, ;^ioo; William Parker,
;^ioo; John Dunster, ^200, to be laid out in lands and tenements; Edward Rudge, ;^2oo, to be laid
out in lands and tenements; Lady Middleton, ;!^ioo.
The most notable rectors of the church were: William Lyndwood (d. 1446), Chancellor to the
Archbishop of Canterbury ; Thomas Langton (d. 1501), Bishop of St. David's. John Milton was baptized
in this church.
A tablet formerly affixed to the exterior of the church in commemoration of the event was put up
outside St. Mary-le-Bow after the destruction of Allhallows.
Friday Street. — " So called," says Stow, " of fishmongers dwelling there, and
serving Friday's market." In the roll of the Scrope and Grosvenor controversy,
the poet Chaucer is recorded as giving evidence connected with this street, tor when
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 59
he was once in Friday Street he observed a sign with the arms of Scrope hanging
out ; and on his asking what they did there, was told they were put there by Sir
Robert Grosvenor.
Cunningham also notes as follows: "The Nag's Head Tavern, at the
Cheapside corner of Friday Street, was the pretended scene of the consecration of
Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The
real consecration took place in the adjoining church of St. Mary-le-Bow; but the
Roman Catholics chose to lay the scene in a tavern. ' The White Horse,' another
tavern in Friday Street, makes a conspicuous figure in the Merry Conceited Jests
of Geo7'ge Peele. In this street, in 1695, at the 'Wednesdays Clubs,' as they
were called, certain well-known conferences took place, under the direction of
William Paterson, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Bank of
England."
In the year 1247, certain lands in Friday Street are held by the nuns of
" Halliwelle." In 1258, one William Eswy, mercer, bequeathed to the Earl of
Gloucester all his tenements in Friday Street for 100 marks, wherein he was bound
to the Ea-rl, and for robes, capes, and other goods received from him. In 1278,
Walter de Vaus left to Thomas, his uncle, shops in Friday Street. Therefore in the
thirteenth century the street was already a lane of shops. The date shows that the
former character of Chepe market as a broad open space set with booths and stalls
had already undergone great modifications. Other early references to the street
show that it was one of shops. Chaucer's evidence shows that a hundred years later
there were " hostelers" or " herbergeours " living there.
In 1363, certain citizens subscribed money as a present to the King. Among
them is one Thomas, a scrivener of Friday Street, and in 1370 we find one Adam
Lovekyn in possession of a seld which has been used for time out of mind by foreign
tanners. He complains that they no longer come to him, but keep their wares in
hostels and go about the streets selling them in secret.
In Friday Street at the corner in Watling Street is a railed-in space, all that
remains of an old churchyard, the churchyard of St. John the Evangelist. This is
a piece of ground containing very few square yards, separated from the street by
high iron railings, and filled with stunted laurel bushes and other evergreens. A
hard gravel walk runs round a circular bed of bushes, and on one side stands a
raised tomb-like erection. On the wall are one or two slabs indicating the names ot
those who are buried in the vault below.
The Church of St. John the Evang-elist was burnt duwn in tlie Croat Fire and not rebuilt,
its parish being annexed to Allhallows, Bread Street, and both of these to St. Mary-lelJow, by Order
in Council, 1876. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1354.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury, before 1354; Henry VIII. seized it in 1540; the Dean and Ciiapter of Christ Church,
Canterbury, 1546 up to 1666, when it was annexed to .Mlhallows, Bread Street.
6o SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Houseling people in 1548 were 100.
A chantry was founded here by William de Angre, before 1361, whose endowment fetched
£S : 13 : 4 in 1548, when John Taylor was chaplain. No monuments of any note are recorded by Stow.
In the north part of Friday Street is Blue Boar Court on the east side. This
court was rebuilt in 1896, but previous to this was surrounded by old houses. One
of these, No. 56, was interesting as having been the City home of Richard Cobden
until 1845. ^^ is said that this house was built on the site of a garden attached to
Sir Hugh Myddelton's house in Cheapside. The cellars beneath the building once
covered the bullion belonging to the Bank of England. This was at the time when
the Bank was in a room of the old Grocers' Hall.
The Church of St. Matthew, Friday Street, was situated on the west side of the street near
Cheapside. It was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt from the designs of Sir Christopher Wren
in 1685 ; it was then made the parish church for this and St. Peter's, Westcheap, which was annexed
to it. About 1887 the building was pulled down. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1322.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of : The Abbot and Convent of St. Peter, Westminster,
1322, then Henry VIII., who seized it and gave it to the Bishop of Westminster, January 20, 1540-41 ;
the Bishop of London, March 3, 1553-54; it continued in his successors up to 1666, when St. Peter's,
Cheapside, was annexed, and the patronage was shared alternately with the patron of that parish.
Houseling people in 1548 were 200.
The church was plain, without aisles, measuring 64 feet by 33 feet and liaving a tower 74 feet high.
Chantries were founded here : By Adam de Bentley, goldsmith, for himself and Matilda his wife, to
which Adam Ipolite de Pontefracto was admitted chaplain, June 14, 1334; by Thomas Wyrlyngworth,
at the Altar of St. Katherine, to which John Donyngton was admitted chaplain, November 13, 1391 : the
King granted his licence, June 16, 1404; by John Martyn, whose endowment fetched ;^io in 1548,
when Henry Coldewell was priest, " 70 years of age, meanly learned " ; for Nicholas Twyford, wiks,
about 1400.
The church originally contained monuments to Sir Nicholas Twyford, goldsmith and mayor, who
died 1583, also Sir Edward Clark, Lord Mayor in 1696. Sir Hugh Myddelton, the designer of the
New River, was a parishioner, and was buried here in 1631.
A legacy of ;£^ a year was left to the poor of the parish by Mrs. Cole.
James Smith, Edward Clark, and others contributed to the furnishing of the necessities of the church.
The parish was to receive ^^240 out of the "cole-money" for the use of the parish or poor (Stow).
John Thomas (1691-1766), Bishop of Lincoln, 1744, of Sarum 1761-66, was rector here; also
Edward Vaughan (d. 1522), Bishop of St. David's; John Rogers, who was burnt at Smithfield, 1555;
Lewis Bayley (d. 1631), Bishop of Bangor, and Michael Lort (1725-90), Vice-President of Society of
Antiquaries ; Henry Burton, the ardent Puritan, who was put in the pillory and imprisoned for his
religious opinions and attacks.
The Church of St. Margaret Moses was situated on the east side of Friday Street, opposite
Distaff Lane, now merged in Cannon Street, and derived its name from one Moses, who founded it. It
was burnt down in the Great Fire and its parish annexed to that of St. Mildred, Bread Street. The eariiest
date of an incumbent is 1300.
l"he patronage of the church was in the hands of: Robert Fitzwalter, the founder, who gave it in
1 105 to the Priors and Canons of St. Faith, Horsham, Norfolk, being confirmed to that house by Pope
Ale.xander III. in his Bill dated at Turin, May 26, 1163; Edward III., who seized it from St. F'aith, as
an alien priory, and so it continued in the Crown till the parish was annexed to St. Mildred, Bread
Street, in 1666.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 6i
Houseling people in 1548 were 240.
Chantries were founded here by: Nicholas Rray, whose endowment fetched ;i{^8;i6:8 in 154S,
when John Griffyn was " priest of the age of 46 years, of virtuous living and of small learning " ; John
Fenne, whose endowment yielded £<) : los. in 1548, when John Brightwyse was "priest of the age of 46
years, of honest behaviour and indifferently learned"; Gerard Dannyell, whose endowment fetched £?,
in 1548, when Nicholas Prideoux was priest.
The church originally contained monuments to Sir Richard Dobbes, mayor, 1551 ; Sir John
Allot, mayor, 1591.
Only two legacies are recorded by Stow : i8s. per annum, the gift of John Bush ; 16s. per annum,
the gift of John Spot.
John Rogers, who was burnt at Smithfield in 1555, was rector here.
Distaff Lane. — "On the west side of Friday Street, is INIayden lane, so named
of such a sign, or Distaffe lane, for Distar lane, as I read in the record of a brewhouse
called the Lamb, in Distar Lane, the i6th of Henry VI. In this Distar Lane, on the
north side thereof, is the Cordwainers, or Shoemakers' hall, which company were
made a brotherhood or fraternity, in the iith of Henry IV. Of these cordwainers
I read, that since the fifth of Richard II. (when he took to wife Anne, daughter to
Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia), by her e.xample, the English people had used piked
shoes, tied to their knees with silken laces, or chains of silver or gilt, wherefore in
the 4th of Edward IV. it was ordained and proclaimed, that beaks of shoone and
boots, should not pass the length of two inches, upon pain of cursing by the clergy,
and by parliament to pay twenty shillings for every pair. And every cordwainer
that shod any man or woman on the Sunday, to pay thirty shillings.
" On the south side of this Distar Lane, is also one other lane, called Distar
Lane, which runneth down to Knightrider Street, or Old Fish Street, and this is
the end of Bread Street Ward " (Stow's Sui'vey, p. 393).
The other lane was afterwards called Little Distaff Lane. Another name for
this street was Maiden Lane. There was another Maiden Lane in Thames Street,
and a third in Lad Lane, and a fourth on Bank side.
Distaff Lane is absorbed by Cannon Street, and the " Little Distaff Lane " has
been promoted by the omission of the adjective.
Old Change. — Of this street Stow tells us everything that is of interest :
" A street so called of the King's exchange there kept, which was for the
receipt of bullion to be coined. For Henry HI., in the 6th year of his reign, wrote
to the Scabines and men of Ipre, that he and his council had given prohibition, that
none, Englishmen or other, should make change of plate or other mass of silver,
but only in his Exchange at London, or at Canterbury. Andrew Bukerell then had
to farm the E.xchange, and was mayor of London, in the reign of Henry III. In
the 8th of Edward I., Gregory Rockesly was keeper of the said Exchange for the
king. In the 5th of Edward II., William Hausted was keeper thereof ; and in the
1 8th, Roger de Frowicke.
62 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
" These received the old stamps, or coining-irons, from time to time, as the same
were worn, and deHvered new to all the mints in England, as more at large in
another place I have noted.
" This street beginneth by West Chepe in the north, and runneth down south
to Knightrider Street; that part thereof which is called Old Fish Street, but the
very housing and office of the Exchange and coinage was about the midst thereof,
south from the east gate that entereth Pauls churchyard, and on the west side in
Baynard's castle ward.
" On the east side of this lane, betwixt West Cheape and the church of St.
Augustine, Henry Walles, mayor (by license of Edward 1.), built one row of houses,
the profits rising of them to be employed on London Bridge" (Stow's Survey, p. 35).
Lord Herbert of Cherbury lived in a "house among gardens near the Old
Exchange."
St. Paul's School was founded by Dean Colet in 1509, and the schoolhouse
stood at the east end of the Churchyard, facing the Cathedral. It was destroyed by
the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren, and then again taken down and rebuilt in 1824,
and subsequently removed to Hammersmith to the new building designed by Alfred
Waterhouse, R.A., in 1884. For further, see " Hammersmith " in succeeding volume.
The old site in St. Paul's Churchyard is now covered by business houses.
ST. AUGUSTINE
At the corner of Old Change and Watling Street stands St. Augustine's Church.
It was burnt down by the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren in 1682, and the parish of St. Faith's
anne.xed to it. The steeple, however, was not completed till 1695. As it possessed no proper burying-
ground of its own, a portion of the crypt of St. Paul's was used for the interment of parishioners. The
earliest date of an incumbent was 1148.
The patronage of the church was always in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who
granted it to Edward, the priest, in 1 1 48.
Houseling people in 1548 were 360.
The present church measures about 51 feet in length, 30 feet in height, and 45 feet in breadth; it
is divided into a nave and side aisles by six Ionic columns and four pilasters. The steeple rises at the
south-west, consisting of a tower, lantern, and spire. It is 20 feet square at the base, and has three stories.
The lantern is very slender. The total altitude is 140 feet. No chantries are recorded to have been
founded here. The ancient church contained few monuments of note. The present building has a
tablet to the memory of Judith (died 1705), the first wife of the eminent lawyer William Cowper.
Some of the benefactors were : Thomas Holbech, rector of the parish, 1662, who gave ;£ioo towards
finishing the church; Dame Margaret Ayloff, ^100. After the parish of St. Faith's was annexed, gifts
to the amount of ^£^700 were received from various sources.
William Fleetwood (1656-1723), Bishop of St. Asaph, was rector here; also John Douglas (1721-
1807), Bishop of Carlisle and of Sarum, and Richard H. Barham (1788-1845), author of The Ingoldshy
Legends.
With this we end the first section of the City.
GROUP II
The second group of streets will be those lying north of Gresham Street, with
Noble Street and Monkwell Street on the west, and Moorgate Street on the east.
This part of the City is perhaps less rich in antiquities and associations than any
other. The north part was, to begin with, occupied and built over with houses
much later than the south. For a long time the whole area north of Gresham (then
Cateaton) Street and within the Wall presented the appearance of gardens and
orchards with industrial villages as colonies dotted here and there, each with its
parish church and its narrow lane of communication with the great market of Chepe.
Some of the names, as Oat Lane, Lilypot Lane, Love Lane, preserve the memory
of the orardens and their walks.
In this district grew up by degrees a great many of the industries of the City,
especially the noisy trades and those which caused annoyance to the neighbours, as
that of the foundry, the tanyard, the tallow chandlers.
An examination of the Calendar of Wills down to the fifteenth century is in one
sense disappointing, because it affords no insight into the nature of the trades carried
on in the area before us. On the other hand, it curiously corroborates the theory
that this part of the City was in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries purely
industrial, because among the many entries referring to this quarter there is but one
reference, down to the seventeenth century, of any shops. There are rents, tene-
ments— "all my Rents and Tenements" several times repeated; land and rents —
" all my Land and Rents " ; there are almshouses. Halls of Companies, gardens ; but
there are no shops, and that at a time when the streets and lanes about Cheapside
are filled with shops !
The Companies' Halls offer some index to the trades of the quarter. There
are still Broderers' Hall, Curriers' Hall, Armourers' Hall, Coopers' Hall, Parish
Clerk's Hall, Brewers' Hall, Girdlers' Hall ; and there were Haberdashers' Hall,
Mercers' Hall, Wax Chandlers' Hall, Masons' Hall, Plaisterers' Hall, Pinners' Hall,
Barber Surgeons' Hall, Founders' Hall, Weavers' Hall, and Scriveners' Hall, which
have now been removed elsewhere or destroyed. These trades, we may note, are
for the most part of the humbler kind.
Coleman Street is described by Stow as " a fair and large Street on both
63
64 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
sides built with divers fair houses, besides alleys with small tenements in great
numbers."
Cunningham enumerates the chief events connected with the street :
"The five members accused of treason by Charles I. concealed themselves in
this street. 'The Star,' in Coleman Street, was' a tavern where Oliver Cromwell
and several of his party occasionally met. . . . In a conventicle in ' Swan Alley,' on
the east side of this street, Venner, a wine-cooper and INIillenarian, preached the
opinions of his sect to 'the soldiers of King Jesus'" (see London in the Titiie of
the Stnarts, p. 68 et seq.). "John Goodwin, minister in Coleman Street, waited on
Charles I. the day before the King's execution, tendered his services, and offered to
pray for him. The King thanked him, but said he had chosen Dr. Juxon, whom he knew.
Vicars wrote an attack on Goodwin, called ' The Coleman-street Conclave Visited ! '
Justice Clement, in Ben Jonson's Every Man in his Humour, lived in Coleman Street ;
and Cowley wrote a play called Cutter of Coleman-street. Bloomfield, author of
' The Farmer's Boy,' followed his original calling of a shoemaker at No. 14 Great
Bell-yard in this street."
ST. STEPHEN, COLEMAN STREET
The Church of St. Stephen, Coleman Street, was " at first a Jews' synagogue, then a parish church,
then a chapel to St. Olave's in the Jewry, now (7 Edward IV.) incorporated as a parish church " (Stow).
It is situated on the west side of Coleman Street, near to the south end. It was consumed by the Great
Fire and rebuilt by Wren. The earliest date of an incumbent is 13 11.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who granted
it to the Prior and Convent of Butley; Henry VIII. seized it, and in the Crown it continued till
Queen Elizabeth granted it, about 1597, to the parishioners, in whose successors it continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 8S0.
The church is plain, long and narrow, without any aisles, measuring 75 feet in length and 35 feet
in breadth. The steeple, which rises at the north-west, consists of a stone tower, a lantern, and small spire,
the total height being about 65 feet.
Chantries were founded here by : William Grapefig, for which the King granted a licence, August 6,
1321, and to which John de Maderfield was admitted chaplain, June 23, 1324; Rodger le Bourser, for
which the King granted his licence, August i, 132 1 ; Stephen Fraunford and John Essex, both citizens of-
London, of which John de Bulklegh was chaplain, who died in 1391 : founded July 1361 ; Edward IV.,
who endowed it with lands, etc., which fetched ;^5o : 5 : 4 in 1548.
Anthony Munday, the dramatist, arranger of the City pageants and the continuation of Stow's
Survey, who died in 1633, was buried here.
A very large number of legacies and charitable gifts are recorded by Stow, amongst which are :
^640, the gift of Christopher Eyre, for the building and maintenance of six almshouses ; p£^ioo, the gift of
Sir Richard Smith, for coals for the poor; .;^ioo, the gift of Hugh Capp, for lands for the poor; ^400,
the gift of Barnard Hyde, to purchase land for six poor people for ever.
In White Alley there were six almshouses built by Christopher Eyre for six poor couples, each of
whom were allowed jQ^ per annum.
Richard Lucas (1648-1715), author of several theological works, was a rector here; also John Daven-
port (1597-1670), he was one of the leaders of a party who went over to America in 1637, and founded
Newhaven in Connecticut. He had a design of founding a university (Yale), but this was not carried into
effect until sixty years later.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
65
Over the stuccoed gateway of the churchyard is a skull and cross-bones, with an elaborate panel
in relief below, representing the Last Judgment ; this is a replica in oak of the original panel, which was
removed, for its better preservation, to the Vestry.
As for the present street the most notable building is the Armourers' Hall.
THE ARMOURERS AND BRASIERS COMPANY
The trade of armourer was of great importance in the ages when men went out to war clad in iron.
7'. //. Shtphird.
THE armourers' AND llRASIERs' ALMSHOUSES, BISHOPSGATE WITHOUT (1857)
There were many kinds of armour. Some were taught to make helmets and some corslets. There was
armour of quilted leather worn under the armour or acting as armour.
A great number of people lived by the making of armour. The custom of wearing armour decayed
gradually, not rapidly. It is still kept up for purposes of show but no longer for any use in defence.
The origin of the Company of Armourers and Brasiers is lost in antiquity. The Company was,
however, founded previously to the beginning of the fourteenth century, for records are in existence showing
that at that time (1307-27) the Company had vested in it the right of search of armour and weapons. It
would appear from documents in the jiossession of the Company that as early as the year 1428 the Company
was in the possession of a hall. In the year 1453 the Company was incorporated by a charter from King
Henry VI. by the title of " The Fraternity or Guild of St. George of the Men of Mistery of Armorers of
5
66 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
our City of London," and had licence granted to it to appoint a chaplain to its chapel in St. Paul's
Cathedral.
It is believed that the Company of Brasiers was incorporated about the year 1479 ^y Edward IV.,
and that the craft of bladesmiths was incorporated with the Company of Armourers about the year 1515,
but the Company has no authentic evidence in its possession as to these facts.
In the year 1559, Queen Elizabeth granted a charter of Inspeximus, confirming the Letters Patent
of King Henry XI.
In the year 1618, King James I., in consideration of the sum of ;^ioo, granted Letters Patent
confirming the title of the Fraternity or Guild of St. George of the Men of Mystery of Armourers in the
City of London, to the messuages and lands then held by it. The greater part of these messuages and
lands is still in the possession of the Company.
In the year 1685, King James II. granted Letters Patent to the Company which (infer a/ia) directed
that all edge tools and armour, and all copper and brass work wrought with the hammer within the City
of London, or a radius of five miles therefrom, should be searched and approved by e.xpert artificers of
the Company.
In the year 1708 the Company of Armourers was, by Letters Patent granted by Queen Anne, incor-
porated with the Brasiers under the corporate title of " The Company of Armourers and Brasiers in the
City of London." In this charter it is recited that of late years many of the members of the Company
of Armourers had employed themselves in working and making vessels, and wares of copper and brass
wrought with the hammer, and that for want of powers to search and make byelaws to bind the workers
of such wares in the City of London, frauds and deceits in the working of such goods and vessels had
increased, and power was thereby granted to the Company of Armourers and Brasiers to make byelaws for
the government of the Company ; and also of all persons making any work or vessel of wrought or hammered
brass or copper, in the Cities of London and Westminster, or within a radius of five miles thereof, and
with authority to inflict fines and penalties against persons offending against such byelaws. And the
Company was invested with power to inspect and search for all goods worked or wrought with the hammer
and exposed to sale within such limits as aforesaid. No person was allowed to sell or make armour or vessels,
or wares of copper or brass wrought with the hammer, unless he was a member or had been apprenticed
to a member of the Company.
It would appear that the master and wardens exercised a very extensive jurisdiction in ancient
days, fining and punishing members of the Company for social offences as well as for infringements of the
byelaws of the Company, and hearing and adjudicating upon all questions arising between members of the
Company and their apprentices, and also inflicting fines on persons making or selling goods of an improper
quality.
This Company is still in the habit of binding apprentices to masters engaged in the trades of workers
of brass and copper, and of pensioning infirm members of those trades. Their workshops were situated
close to London Wall, below Bishopsgate, probably in order to remove their hammering as far as possible
from the trading part of the City.
The Company is governed by a Master, an Upper Warden and a Renter Warden, with eighteen
assistants, and, together with the livery, now number 91. The Hall is at Si Coleman Street. Stow
mentions the Hall on the north end of Coleman Street and on the east side of it. " The Company of
Armourers were made a Fraternity or Guild of St. George with a Chantry in the Chapel of St. Thomas in
Paul's Church in the ist of Henry VI.''
On the north side of King's Arms Yard extends the elaborate and very handsome
building of the Metropolitan Life Assurance Society, which has its entrance at the corner
of Moorgate Street. This has deeply recessed windows, and the corner is finished
off by an octagonal turret which begins in a projecting canopy over the door, and
is carried up to the roof In niches here and there are small stone figures. This
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 67
building is the work of Aston Webb and Ingress Bell in 1891. Opposite, in great
contrast, are oldish brick houses, very plain in style. Round the northern corner
into Coleman Street is carried a building which is chiefly remarkable for the amount
of polished granite on its surface. On the west, a little higher up, is another entrance
of the Wool Exchange from which a large projection overhangs the street. There
is a lamb in stonework ov^er the door.
Basinghall Street (or Bassishaw Street) runs from London Wall to Gresham
Street. The street used to contain the Masons', Weavers', Coopers', and
Girdlers' Halls. Only the Girdlers' and Coopers' Halls now remain. The names
Basinghall and Bassishaw are frequently supposed to have the same origin. Riley,
however, quotes a passage in which (a.d. 1390) there is mention of the "Parish of
St. Michael Bassishaw in the Ward of Bassyngeshaw," which he considers indicates
that the word Basseshaw is Basset's haw, and Bassyngeshaw is Basing's haw, referring
to two families and not one. There is a great number of references to Basings and
to Bassets. Yet the names seem to refer to the same place. Thus in 1280 and
1283 we hear of houses in Bassieshaw. In 1286 we hear of houses in Bassinge haw.
Basinghall was the hall or house of the Basings, an opulent family of the thirteenth
century. Solomon and Hugh Basing were sheriffs in 12 14; Solomon was mayor
in 1 2 16; Adam Basing was sheriff in 1243. Basinghall passed into the hands of a
family named Banquelle or Bacquelle. John de Banquelle, Alderman of Dowgate,
had a confirmation and quit claim to him of a messuage in St. Michael, Bassieshawe,
in 1293.
At the south-west corner of Basinghall Street was a fine stone house built by
a "certain Jew named Manscre, the son of Aaron." Thomas Bradberry (d. 1509)
kept his mayoralty there.
THE GIRDLERS COMPANY
The Girdlers Company traces its existence to a very early period, and cannot, in the strict sense of
the word, be said to have been founded. It is believed to have been a fraternity by prescription, which
owed its origin to a lay brotherhood of the order of Saint Laurence, maintaining themselves by the making
of girdles and voluntarily associating for the purpose of mutual protection and for the regulation of the
trade which they practised, and the maintenance of the ancient ordinances and usages established to
ensure the honest manufacture of girdles with good and sound materials.
The earliest public or State recognition of the Company of which it now possesses any evidence
consists of Letters Patent of the first year of King Edward IIL, a.d. 1327, addressed to them as an
existing body, as "les ceincturiers de notre Citee de Loundres," by which the "ancient ordinances and
usuages " of the said trade are approved and their observance directed. The King also grants licence to
the girdlers that they shall have power to elect one or two of their own trade to seek out folse work and
present it before the mayors or chief guardians of the places where found, who shall cause the same to be
burnt and those who have worked the same to be punished ; all amercements resulting therefrom to belong
to the mayors of the places where the false work is found.
Some ten years later we find the girdlers presenting a code of laws for the governance of their trade
to the mayor and aldermen ; therefore, though their charter enabled them to search into and discover
68 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
bad work, it gave them no power to make laws for the safeguarding of the trade. Moreover, the charter
gave them no power over wages, nor did it compel the workers of the trade to join the Fraternity, nor did it
empower them to hold land, to sue or to be sued. Considering these omissions, the document quoted by
Riley ought not, strictly speaking, to be considered a charter.
The said Letters Patent were confirmed in i Richard II. (1377) and 2 Henry IV. (1401), and
the Company was incorporated in 27 Henry VI. (1448) by the Master and CJuardians of the Mystery
of Girdlers of the City of London.
Further confirmations were made in 2 Edward IV., 10 Elizabeth, 15 Charles I., and i James II.
No important change in the original constitution of the Company was made by any of the
charters prior to that of 10 Elizabeth, which directed that the three arts or mysteries called Pinners,
Wyerworkers, and Girdlers should be joined and invited together into one body corporate and polity, and
one society and company for ever, and did incorporate them by the name of the Masters and Wardens or
Keepers of the Art and Mystery of Girdlers, London.
It does not appear that the Pinners and Wyerworkers brought any accession of property to the Girdlers.
The Hall has always been in Basinghall Street. Here it is mentioned by Stow along with Masons'
Hall and Weavers' Hall.
No. I on the east of Basinghall Street was probably built early in the
nineteenth century ; the buildings which follow it are chiefly modern. The whole
street is rather fine, though too narrow for much effect. There are in it many great
"houses," "chambers," and "buildings" occupied in floons. Gresham Buildings are
faced with dark-coloured stone and rise comparatively high. The ground-floor walls
on the exterior are covered with the most elaborate stonework representations of
flowers and foliage. The City of London Court in the passage known as Guildhall
Buildings is picturesquely built in a perpendicular style of Gothic. A great square
stone building opposite was built in 1890, and ne.xt to it a plain Portland stone
edifice contains the Lord Mayor's court office. The City Library and Museum form
a picturesque group of buildings in the west of Basinghall Street.
Near at hand is the Coopers' Hall with a narrow frontage.
THE COOPERS COMPANY
The Coopers Company was incorporated in 1501 by charter of King Henry VII., dated 29th Aprfl,
in the sixteenth year of his reign. There is no record, however, of any anterior charter. There is no
doubt that the Coopers were one of the early mysteries or brotherhoods of the City of London, though it
is difficult to assign a correct date of their origin. The Comi)any's archives, however, show that the
Company had existed for a considerable period prior to the date of its incorporation. A subsequent charter
was granted on the 30th August, in the thirteenth year of King Charles II. This is the governing charter,
and its provisions regulate the management of the Company to the present day. Under the statute of
23 Henry Yll. cap. 4, power is given to the wardens of the Company with one of the mayor's officers to
gauge all casks in the City of London and the suburbs, and within two miles' compass without the suburbs,
and to mark such barrels when gauged. By a subsequent Act, 31 Elizabeth, cap. 8, "for the true gauging
of vessels brought from beyond the seas, converted by brewers for the utterance and sale of ale and beer,"
brewers were prohibited from selling or putting to sale any ale or beer in any such vessels within the limits
before mentioned before the same should be lawfully gauged and marked by the master and wardens of the
Coopers Company. The Company do not now exercise, and have not for a considerable period exercised,
any control over the trade of coopers.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 69
It is quite certain that a craft so technical and so useful as that of the cooper must have been
constituted as a guild as soon as craftsmen began to work together at all. In the year 1396 (Riley, p. 541),
"the goodmen of the trade of Coopers " presented a code of ordinances for the regulation of the trade.
They complained that certain persons of the trade were in the habit of making casks out of wood which
had been used for oil and soap casks, so that ale or wine put into these casks was spoiled. Therefore it
is certain that their guild did not possess authority over the trade at that time. This is shown again in
14 1 3, when certain Master Coopers again complained to the mayor that one Richard Bartlot, fishmonger,
had made 260 vessels called barrels and firkins of unseasoned wood and of false measure. These vessels
were ordered to be destroyed. Perhaps in order to prevent similar practices, it was decreed that every
cooper should mark his work by his own trade-mark.
The Corporate Income of the Company is given in 1898 as ^2400; the Trust Income as ^5coo ;
the number of the livery as 200. Their Hall is 7 1 Basinghall Street, on the site of two previous halls.
Close by is the "Wool Exchange and Colonial Office" with an open entry
supported by polished granite pillars, whose capitals are carved as rams' heads.
This is rather a fine building, with segmental windows set closely all across the
frontage. Bevois House, just completed, takes a good line of curvage and is of
white stone. Before Guildhall Chambers there is an old house built of narrow red
bricks, with semicircular pillars on each side of the centre window frame, and above,
on a slab of stone, the date 1660. The site of St. Michael's Church is here. A
row of straight ordinary business houses succeeds. On the east are Guildhall
Chambers, plastered houses built round an asphalt court. The centre one has
a small portico with Ionic columns ; the rest of the court is plain and severe, but not
ineffective.
The Church of St. Michael, Bassishaw, was situated on the west side of Basinghall Street.
It was rebuilt in the fifteenth century, but destroyed by the Great Fire, and again rebuilt, by Wren,
between 1676 and 1679. I" '895 'he church was closed, a commission having been issued in 1893 by
the Bishop of London to inquire into the expediency of uniting this with the parishes of St. Lawrence,
Jewry, and St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1286.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Canons of St. Bartholomew's about
1 140, given by the Bishop of London ; Henry III. ; Thomas de Bassinges, 1246, who left it to his wife by
will dated 1275 ; Henry Bodyk, 1327, who left it to Johanna his wife ; Nicholas de Chaddesdon, who sold
it in 1358 to Sir John de Beauchamp, brother to the Earl of Warwick ; Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's,
1435, 'f' whose successors it continues.
Houseling people in 1548 were 500.
The present church measures 70 feet in length, 50 feet in breadth, and 42 feet in height, and
includes a nave and two side aisles separated by Corinthian columns. The ceiling is divided into
panels, and is pierced with openings to admit the light. The tower, which rises at the west, contains four
stories concluded by a cornice and parapet ; above this is a lead-covered octagonal lantern m two stages
surmounted by a short spire with ball, finial, and vane. The total height is 140 feet.
Chantries were founded here: By John Hannem, citizen, before 1326; by John A.sche, whose
endowment, "called the bell on the hope," fetched ^3:6:8; by James Yardeford, Knt., whose
endowment yielded ^16 in 1548.
A considerable number of monuments are recorded by Stow, the most notable of which are those
of Sir John Gresham (d. 1556), Lord Mayor of London, uncle to the more famous Sir Thomas Gresham ;
and Dr. Thomas Wharton (d. 1673), a physician who gained great glory from his labours during the
Plague of 1665.
70
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The parish received a large number of gifts and charities, some of which were as follows : ;£g from
Lady Anne Vaughan, for lectures; ^lo from Sir Wolstan Dixey, for lectures; ;£^20 from Lady Anne
Bacon ; ;£-jo from Sir Robert and Lady Ducie.
George Gardiner (d. 1589), chaplain to Queen Elizabeth and Chancellor of Norwich, was rector
here; also George Lavington (1684-1762), Bishop of Exeter 1746-47.
Aldermanbury is another ancient City street. The name, according to Stow,
is derived from the Court of Aldermen formerly held in the first Guildhall, the ruins
of which, on the east side of the street, were standing in his day. They had then
Pra^i-n fiy <;. Sfiefiiird.
ST. MARY, ALDERMANBURY, IN 1S14
been converted into a carpenter's shop. Here, in 1383, Sir Robert Tressilian, Lord
Chief Justice, had his residence. At the north end of this street, before the memory
of men living in 1415, a postern had been built leading from the City to the moor.
In Riley's Alcinorials there is a full account of a crowded meeting of citizens in the
Guildhall, July 2, 1415, to consider the state of the moor and certain nuisances
outside the postern and within Bishopsgate. It was resolved to lay out the
moor, then a waste place, in gardens to be allotted to citizens at a certain rental.
The street is frequently mentioned from the thirteenth century. In the sixteenth
century the street had become a place of residence for the better sort. " Here be
divers fair houses on both sides meet for merchants and men of worship."
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 71
ST. MARY, ALDERMANBURY
This church is of very ancient date, as appeared from a sepulchral inscription, said to have been in
the old church, dated 11 16. The building was destroyed by the Great Fire, and re-erected by Wren in
1668-76. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1200.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who, June
1 1 13, appropriated it to Elsing Spital, with certain restrictions. The living is now in the gift of the
parishioners.
Houseling people in 1548 were 371.
The church measures 72 feet in length, 45 feet in breadth, and 38 feet in height, and includes two
aisles separated by six Corinthian columns from the nave. Externally, the church is rather imposing.
The east front has a handsome cornice and pediment, with carved scrolls and figures. The steeple,
which rises at the west, consists of a tower completed by a cornice and parapet. This is surmounted
by a square turret in two stages, and a concave roof tapering to a point, with a finial and vane ; the
total height is about 90 feet. There is a churchyard on the south side, open to the public for several
hours daily.
Chantries were founded here : By William Estfelde, augmented by Stephen Bockerell, at the
Altar of St. George, for Stephen, Isabella his wife, and William his son, before 1363 ; by Henry Bedeyk —
the advowson thereof was released to Sir John de Beauchamp by John de Bovenden and Katherine
his wife, in 1359; by Adam de Bassyng.
A considerable number of citizens of repute were buried in the old church, amongst whom the two
most interesting to posterity are Henry Condell (d. 1627) and John Heminge (d. 1630), the fellow-actors
of Shakespeare and editors of the folio of 1623. The celebrated divine Edmund Calamy (the elder) was
rector here for some years, and was buried in 1666 beneath the ruined building with which he had been
so long connected. In the register of the church the marriage of Milton with his second wife Katherine
Woodcock, 1656, is entered. The remains of Judge Jeffreys, interred in the Tower after his death there
in 1689, were removed here and deposited in a vault beneath the communion table in 1693.
According to Stow, there were no legacies or bequests to the church, but a legacy to the poor, by the
Lady Gresham, of j£^ per annum, paid by the Mercers Company.
Among other celebrated rectors are Edmund Calamy the younger, and Dr. Kennett (d. 1728), author
of Kennett's Register, afterwards Bishop of Peterborough.
ST. ALPHAGE
At the north end of Aldermanbury at the corner of London Wall, is the Church of St. Alphage.
This parish church originally stood on the other side, against the Wall. It is dedicated to St. Alphage,
Archbishop of Canterbury, who was canonised in 1012. Its old churchyard may still be seen. It is built
on part of the site of the hospital and priory founded by ^^'illiam Elsing in 1329 and 1332. The
priory harboured one hundred poor blind men, and .suffered suppression along with the rest at the
Dissolution. Under Henry VIII. a remnant of the jiriory church became parochial and was extensively
repaired and rebuilt in 1624, 1628, and 1649. It escaped the Great Fire, but was taken down in 1774 and
the present building erected by Sir William Staines and opened in 1777. Part of the original structure
may still be seen in the porch. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1 137.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Deans and Canons of St. Martin's-le-Grand
before 1324, from whom it passed to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster from 1505 ; the Bishop of
Westminster by grant of Henry VIII., January 20, 1540; the Bishop of London by gift of Edward VI. m
1550, confirmed by Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in whose successors it continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 345.
The present church possesses two fronts, an eastern and north-western ; the north-west door leads
72 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
into a porch, the pointed arches of which show it to have once formed part of the old priory church. This
is the only relic of past times. The interior is plain, the ceiling flat, and there are no aisles.
A chantry was founded here by John Graunte, whose endowment yielded ^15 : 10 : 8 in 1548.
The church contains a handsome monument on the north wall to Sir Rowland Hayward, Lord
Mayor in 1570 and 1591 ; it was placed on the south side of the old church. On the same wall, farther
PORCH OF ST. ALPHACE, LONDON WALL, lSl8.
east, a marble monument commemorates Samuel Wright, who at his death in 1736 left charitable bequests
to the extent of ^20,950.
Some of the donors of gifts were Sir Rowland Hayward, 2od. for bread every Sabbath day for the
poor, 1 591, and John Brown, ^30 for church repairs, 1629.
There was a school for fifty boys and twenty-five girls, who were clothed and educated and put out
to trades and service at the charge of the ward. There were also ten almshouses for ten men and ten
women, each of whom was allowed ;^4 per annum, founded by the Rev. Dr. Thomas White. Part of the
almshouses in Monkwell Street belonged to this parish.
A notable rector of this church was Philip Stubbs (1665-1738), Archdeacon of St. Alban's.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
72>
Just opposite to Philip Street is still preserved the old churchyard of
St. Alphage, a rectangular railed-in space with ivy growing over the old wall that
forms the backbone. On a slab near the centre is the inscription :
The burial ground of St. Alphage containing part of the old Roman City wall. Closed by Act
of Parliament 1853. Laid out as a garden 1872.
To the west of the churchyard once stood Sion College. This was built in
1623 with almshouses attached, according to the will of Dr. Thomas White, vicar
SIGN COLLEGE, LONDON WALL, itOO
From an original drawing in the possession of ihe President and Fellows oi .Sioji College.
of St. Dunstan's-in-the-West. It stood on the site of Elsing Spital (see Medieval
London, vol. ii. p. 248).
Sion College had a fine library left by the will of Ur. John Simson, rector of
St. Olave, Hart Street, and a third of these books was burnt in the Great Fire,
which almost destroyed the College. Up to 1836 the College enjoyed the privilege
of receiving a gratuitous copy of every published book. The City clergy
were Fellows of the College. In 1886 a new building on the Embankment was
opened to take the place of the old one, and now the ancient site is covered by
business houses.
74 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
THE CURRIERS COMPANY
The Curriers were incorporated by James I. in April 30, 1606, for a master, two wardens, twelve
assistants, and 103 liverymen.
The exact date of the origin of the Company is unknown, but it must have had some sort of
existence previous to 1363, for in that year it is recorded that the Company contributed five marks to
aid King Edward III. in carrying on his wars with France.
There are no documents in existence referring to the origin of the Company.
Many indications of the antiquity of this Fraternity occur. It was attached to the White Friars'
Church in Fleet Street. The Curriers settled in Soper Lane; they asked for ordinances in 14151 they
were authorised to appoint the City scavengers.
Their Hall is the third erected on the same site; it was founded in 1S74. The first Hall perished
in the Fire. The quarter where the curriers lived and worked was in the north facing London Wall,
where they built their Hall.
Of Addle Street Stow says : " The reason of which name I know not." It
may have been derived from " Ethel," meaning noble. In it is the Brewers' Hall.
THE BREWERS COMPANY
In the year 1445 ^^'^ Brewers were first incorporated. Like many other trades, they had been
associated long before. Thus in 1345 the Brewers (Riley's Meinoruih, p. 225) are treated as a body, being
ordered not to use the water of the Chepe conduit for making beer and ale, seeing that it was wanted for
the supply of the citizens. (Fishmongers at the same time were forbidden to use the water for washing
their fish.)
The original charter of February 22, 1445, granted by Henry VI., after citing the Brewers Company
as one of the ancient mysterie.s, incorporates the Company into one body and perpetual community.
The charter granted nth November, 2 Elizabeth, and the charter of August 29, 1563, confirm the
previous charter of Henry VI.
The charter of July 13, 21 Elizabeth, appears to have been granted owing to the great increase of
persons engaged in and practising the trade of brewing. The charter incorporates all persons in or about
the City of London or the suburbs, or within two miles of the City.
The charter of 6th April, 15 Charles I., recites previous charters, but increases the jurisdiction of the
corporation over the brewing trade in or about the City of London to a limit of four miles.
This charter of Charles I. confers a great deal of power on those in authority over the trade. It
allows them to make rules and ordinances, and generally to exercise supervision over all members of the
trade in and about the City, and within a four-mile radius.
Byelaws on the strength of this charter were framed for the Company on July 9, Charles I., 1641.
The charter of i8th March, 1 Charles II., after reciting the charter of 22nd February, 16 Henry VI.,
the confirmation of the said charter by Queen Elizabeth on August 29, 1563, and a surrender of the
right to elect master, warden, or assistant, incorporates the Company again, nominates William Carpenter
to be master till June 24, 1686, further nominates wardens and assistants; provides for the institution
of search and quarterage, and for the binding of apprentices ; gives the corporation the right to inspect
brew-houses within certain limits, and to inflict penalties ; orders that every assistant elected shall be a
communicant, and allows the commonalty to distil aqua-vit£e or spirits.
The deed of July i, 1684, surrenders the Company's charter and all rights appertaining to it.
The charter of i8th March, James II., after reciting the charter of 16 Henry VI., and 4 Elizabeth,
1563, and the surrender of their charter by the Company, orders all brewers within eight miles of the City or
suburbs of London to be of the corporation ; establishes search and quarterage payments according to
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 75
the number of servants employed ; gives the Company power to make laws or set penalties ; grants a
licence in mortmain to purchase lands up to the value of £60 ; orders every master, warden, assistant,
and clerk to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and to subscribe the declaration ; orders each
person elected to be a communicant.
The Company have a cojjy of byelaws drawn up in the year 17 14, and signed by all the members of
the court.
The present constitution, orders, rules, and conditions, as drawn up by the master, wardens, and
assistants, were made on July 13, 1739. They provide for the holding of the courts; the election of
masters, wardens, and assistants ; for certain penalties for refusing to serve ; for the auditing of accounts,
for the election to the livery and freedom ; for binding apprentices ; for making the search and
quarterage ; for certain restrictions in the case of freemen ; for power for the master and wardens to
sue for penalties ; for the taking of the oaths, and the signing of the declarations.
In February 13, 1857, the byelaws were altered under the Act of 6 William IV., as far as regards the
taking of oaths, and an order was made that a declaration should be substituted for the oath.
The Company is governed by a master, three wardens, and twenty-six assistants.
This Company is one of the richest of the City Companies; it has an annual income of ;^25oo
and administers Trusts and charities to the extent of ^25,000 more ; it has a livery of 47 ; it admits
none but members of the trade. The Company has always, as might be expected, been rich
and flourishing.
THE BRODERERS COMPANY
The first charter of the Company of Broderers. or embroiderers, is dated in 1561, and this is the earliest
definite evidence now in the possession of the Company of the date of its existence as a Company, though the
association existed long before incorporation. In an indenture of conveyance of certain of the Company's
property in Gutter Lane, dated 5 Henry VIII., one Thomas Foster (the grantee) is described as a citizen
and broyderer, and " The wardens of the mystery of broyderers within the city of London " are described
as a definite body in the will of the same Thomas Foster.
25th October, 3 Elizabeth, 1561. — Original charter of Queen Elizabeth.
Incorporates the freemen of the mystery or art of the broderers of the City of London and the
suburbs by the name of Keepers or Wardens and Society of the Art or Mystery of the Broderers of the
City of London, to have perpetual succession and a common seal, to bring and defend actions, and
especially in the City of London to hold lands of the annual value of ^30, for the assistance and support
of poor men and women of the mystery.
Grants powers to the keepers or wardens from time to time to make good and salutary statutes and
ordinances for the good regulation and government of the mystery and the freemen thereof, which shall be
inviolably observed.
Grants to the keepers or wardens power to overlook and govern the art and all using the same in
the City and suburbs thereof, the City of Westminster, Saint Katherine's in Middlesex, and the borough of
Southwark, and to punish all men for not truly working or selling.
20th April, 7 James I., 1609.— Original charter of James the First.
Contains only a recital and confirmation of the charter of Queen Elizabeth without any alteration
or addition.
The al)0ve is an abstract of the subsisting charter of the Company.
It was the Broderers who produced the i)alls used by many Companies at the funerals of their
members. They also made the pulpit cloths and altar cloths of the churches, the vestments of the clergy,
the caparison of horses, and the decoration of arms and armour.
The livery in 1900 was 28. Their Trust Income about ^32 :9s. The beautiful art of embroidery
is encouraged by this Company by scholarships at the Royal School of Art Needlework, Decorative
Needlework Society, and Clapton and Stamford Hill Government School of Art.
76 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Milton Street, one of the dreariest and dullest of thoroughfares, deserves some
comment, having originally been that Grub Street for ever associated with starveling
authors. In 1600 it was inhabited by bowyers, fletchers, bowstring-makers and such
occupations. There were many bowling alleys and dicing houses. Andrew Marvell
speaks of the Puritans of Grub Street.
It was in the eighteenth century that the jaoorer sort of literary men seem to
have lived here.
Swift and Pope both ridiculed Grub Street writers ; and Swift's advice to Grub
Street verse-writers is worth quoting :
I know a trick to make you thrive :
Oh ! 'tis a quaint device :
Your still-born poems shall survive,
And scorn to wrap up spice.
Get all your verses printed fair,
Then let them well be dried :
And Curll must have a special care
To leave the margin wide.
Lend these to paper-sparing Pope,
And when he sits to write.
No letter with an envelope
Could give him more delight.
When Pope has filled the margin round,
Why then recall your loan ;
Sell them to Curll for 50 pound.
And swear they are your own !
Let us commemorate some of the Grub Street poets and a few others of the
same obscure kind. The names of those selected justify my assertion that the
miseries of poets fell only on those who were profligate, indolent, or incapable.
Samuel Boyse, a colonist, so to speak, of Grub Street, since he evidently
belonged to that and no other quarter, was not a native of London, but of Dublin,
where his father was a dissenting minister of great name and fame. The young man
was sent to Glasgow University, where he brought his university career to a close
by marrying a wife at the age of nineteen. As he had no means of his own, he was
obliged to take his wife, with her sister, to Dublin, where his father supported
them, selling an estate he had in Yorkshire to defray his son's debts. On his father's
death Samuel Boyse removed to Edinburgh, where he published a volume of poems
and wrote an elegy on the death of Lady Stormont.
He had many introductions, but his natural indolence forbade his taking
advantage of them. He seems to have been unable to converse with persons in
higher life, and when letters failed he made no further effort to win their favour.
Like all the poets of Grub Street, he was of a grovelling habit, and loved to make
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 77
friends with men of low life and habit ; at the same time he was selfishly extravagant,
and would feast upon a casual guinea while his wife and child were starving at home.
The casual guinea he mostly got by writing begging letters.
At one time he was so far reduced that he had no garment of any kind to put
on ; all, including his shirts, were at the pawnbrokers ; he sat up in bed with a
GRUB STREEr HERMIT
blanket wrapped round him through which he had cut a hole for his arm, in which
condition he wrote his verses. He died in 1749 in a lodging in Shoe Lane. A
friend endeavoured to get up a subscription to save him from a pauper's funeral.
It was in vain ; the parish officers had to take away the body.
The man was a hopeless tenant of Grub Street, without foresight, without
prudence, without care, except for the present, without dignity or self-respect ; his
poetry was third-rate, yet there are fine passages in it ; he had scholarly tastes,
78 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
especially for painting and music, and in heraldry he was well skilled. In a word,
Samuel Boyse is quite the most illustrious example of the poetaster who has failed
to reach even the lower levels of genius ; whose life was utterly contemptible ; who
would have brought, had such a man been worth considering, discredit by his sordid-
ness and his want of principle, morals, and honour, upon the profession of letters.
Another case is that of Thomas Britton. He was born about the year 1650 at
Higham Ferrers. He was apprenticed to a small coalman in Clerkenwell and
followed the same trade. He walked the streets carrying his sack on his back,
dressed in the blue frock of his profession. When he had disposed of his coal he
walked home, looking at the book-stalls and picking up bargains. It was a splendid
time for picking up bargains. There were still the remnants of the old Monastic
libraries and MSS. together with the old books which had escaped the Great Fire.
Many collectors used to search about among the same book-stalls. Britton
became known to them and was employed by them. The Earls of O.xford,
Pembroke, Sunderland, and Winchelsea, and the Duke of Devonshire, were among
those collectors.
Presently it was discovered that the small coalman, besides being an excellent
hand at discovering an old book, was also a very good musician. Then the wonder-
ful spectacle was to be seen of the great ones of the earth — the aristocracy, the wits,
the musicians — -assembling in an upper room of an itinerant pedlar of small coals to
hear a concert of music. Handel played the harpsichord here ; Dubourg played the
violin. These concerts were begun in 1678 and continued for many years. Britton
himself played the viol de gamba. But he was not only a musician and a
bibliophile, he was also an antiquarian ; he was a collector of music ; in addition to
all these things, he was also a chemist and had a laboratory of his own. He died in
1 7 14, aged about sixty-four. He was buried in Clerkenwell Churchyard.
Let us not forget the famous Tom Brown. Though most of his life was spent
in London, he was a native of Shifnal in Shropshire. He was sent to Christ Church,
Oxford, where he distinguished himself as a linguist, a scholar, and a writer of pieces
which were certainly witty whatever else they might be. He was so brilliant as a
wit that he found it necessary to exchange Oxford for London, where he nearly
starved. However, he obtained, just in time to save him, the school of Kingston-
on-Thames, which he held for a while, giving it up after a very short tenure of office.
Once more he came to London, and became poet, satirist, descriptive writer, and
libeller. He was one of the earliest authors by profession, having, in fact, no other
means of livelihood than the proceeds of his writings. There is very little known
concerning his life ; he is said to have been deficient in the courtliness which was
necessary in the society of Addison and the wits of society ; indeed, he belonged to
a somewhat earlier time. He had no patron among the nobility, though it is related
that he was once invited to dinner by the Earl of Dorset, who placed a bank-note for
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 79
^50 under his plate. This was the solitary exception, however. Nothing is known
as to his private circumstances, though it would be extremely interesting to learn
what sums he received for his Dialogues, Letters, and Poems. He closed a short,
merry, godless, waggish life at the early age of forty-one, a fact which suggests drink
and good living, with other easy ways of shortening life. He is said — which one
readily believes — to have died in great poverty, and he was buried in the cloister of
Westminster Abbey.
An unfortunate poet named William Pattison belongs to Grub Street. He was
the son of a farmer in Sussex. By the kindness of Lord Thanet he was sent to
school and to Cambridge. He quarrelled, however, with the tutor of this College,
and took his name off the boards. He then went up to London intending to live by
his pen. It was a very bad time for living by the pen, and the boy, for he was no
more, arrived with a very slender equipment of experience and knowledge. He
began by soliciting subscriptions for a volume of poems ; he seems to have had
no friends ; but he made some impression at the coffee-house by clever talk.
When he had brought out his poems and spent all the subscription money, he fell
into absolute indigence and was forced to accept a post as assistant in the shop of
the notorious Curll. Before he did that, he wrote to Lord Burlington a poem called
Effigies Anthoris, in which he said that he was destitute of friends and money, half-
starved, and reduced to sleeping on a bench in St. James's Park. To another person
he writes, " I have not enjoyed the common necessaries of life these two days." He
did not long continue in this post of bookseller's assistant, because small-pox attacked
him and he died. He was not yet twenty-two years of age.
Not with less glory niijjhty Dulness crowned
.Shall take through Grub .Street her triumphant round,
says Pope in "The Dunciad."
Among others who lived in Grub Street was Foxe the martyrologist. General
Monk is said to have had a house in a court off Grub Street. As to the origin of the
later name of the street, it is in doubt, some asserting it was from a builder named
Milton, and others that it was so called from Milton's many residences in the neigh-
bourhood. The latter explanation sounds probable; Milton lived at different times
in Aldersgate Street, in Jewin Crescent, in Little Britain, and in Bunhill Fields, all
within the district.
Eastward is Moorgate Street Station, and not far from it St. Bartholomew's
Church, founded in 1850 to meet new demands. Northward in White Street is the
City of London College. This is a very large building occupying all the space
between White's Court and Finsbury Street. The lower part is red brick and above
is glazed white brick. The character of the building changes just before the corner,
having stone facings and a turret angle, which springs from above the first floor.
8o SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
This institution was founded in 1848 and was first established at Crosby Hall. It
removed to Sussex Hall, Leadenhall Street, in i88i, and the present building was
opened in 1884 In 1895 the secondary portion in White Street, connected with the
main building by means of a bridge, was added. The institution was first established
as Metropolitan Evening Classes. In 1891 it became, under a scheme of the
Charity Commissioners, one of the constituent Institutes of the City Polytechnic.
It is in union with the Society of Arts, the Science and Art Department, and the
City and Guilds of London Technical Institute. The number of individual students in
attendance during the session 1894-95 was 2257 (College Calendar, 1895-96). Besides
languages, sciences, and arts, the curriculum includes a practical knowledge of
technical subjects. There is accommodation for 4000 students.
In Redcross Street the long line of wall bounding the yard of the Midland
Railway goods station occupies much of the east side. Beyond this is a grey
brick house partly stone faced, and very ugly, with " Lady Holies' School for Girls,
founded 1702," running across the front. The west side of the street is all composed
of manufactories and warehouses in various styles.
There is a tree-covered space in the middle of Bridgewater Square. Along
the south side is Tranter's Temperance Hotel, a dingy building, in the some style
as the houses in the street just mentioned. On the west near the south end are one
or two old tiled houses. On the north the new building of the Cripplegate Without
Boys' School rises high, with narrow frontage and projecting bow window in the centre
resting on a bracket. Up near the roof is the figure of a boy in a long coat standing
in a niche. At this school there is accommodation for 260 boys; of these 150 are
clothed by Trust, and an outfit on leaving and a situation found for all who pass
the Vllth Standard.
The houses on either side of the school are of recent date, but from that on the
west, to the west corner, stretches a long row of old houses with windows under the
tiles on the roof The west side of the square is almost wholly eighteenth century,
in the usual style. The staircases are panelled, and have spiral balusters. The'
rooms are all completely wainscotted, and have heavily recessed fireplaces. The
entrance ways are completely panelled, and many door lintels and window frames
are perilously askew.
ST. GILES, CRIPPLEGATE
By far the most interesting object in the ward without the Walls is the Church of .St. Giles, Cripplegate,
which stands at the south end of Red Cross Street. It was built about logo by Alfure, who became the
first Hospitaller of St. Bartholomew's Hospital ; the building was replaced by a second church, towards
the end of the fourteenth century, and this was burnt down in 1545. It was at once rebuilt, and escaped
the Great Fire of 1666, and has remained substantially the same up to the present time. It is of exceptional
interest in contrast with the uniformity of Wren's City churches. In 1791 the pitch of the roof was raised,
and during the latter half of the eighteenth century there was e.xtensive restoration. The earliest date
of an incumbent is 1181.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
8i
The patronage of the church has been in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who
received it from Almund the priest in iioo, or thereabouts, up to the present time.
Houseling people in 1548 were 2440.
This church is in the Perpendicular style and contains a nave, chancel, and two side aisles separated
from the central part by clustered columns and pointed arches. The total length is 146 feet 3 inches, and
the height 42 feet 8 inches ; the total height of the steeple 146 feet 3 inches, that of the four pinnacles
rising from the corners of the parapet of the tower 12 feet 9 inches.
Chantries were founded in the church : By Richard Chaurye, whose endowment fetched £^ in 1548 ;
l-rciti a dra-fittg by H'. Pfan^'i
ST. GILES, CRIPPLEGATE
by Matthew Ashebye, whose endowment yielded /<) : 7 ; 8 in 1548. The King granted his licence to
found the Fraternity of Our Lady and St. Giles, September 21, 1426 ; there were several chantries endowed
here by John Bullinger, William Lake, and William Serle, and by William Grove and Richard Heyworth.
Among the several memorial windows of the church the most interesting is that at the west of the
south aisle, comprising three subjects, erected in memory of Edward Alleyne, the founder of Dulwich
College. The earliest monument now existing is of Thomas Busby, who died in 1575. On the west
wall, at the end of the north aisle, is a tablet commemorating the martyrologist John Foxe, who died in
the parish in 1587. Sir Martin Frobisher was buried here, but it was not till 1888 that a monument
was erected to his memory, on the eastern part of the south wall. On the same wall, farther west,
John Speed is commemorated, author of various works dealing with the history of Great Britain. The
chief interest attaching to this church is the fact that in it John Milton was buried in 1674; there is a
6
82 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
stone commemorating him. In- 1793 a monument in the shape of a bust was erected to him at the
expense of Samuel Whitbread, and in 1862 a cenotaph designed by Edmund Woodthorpe was placed in
the south aisle. The church contains numerous other monuments, a great many of which have a
considerable degree of interest ; many of them have been erected to the memory of benefactors and
vicars. It was here that the wedding of Oliver Cromwell was solemnised in 1620 ; the register also
contains entries to another family whose name is also linked with Milton's — that of the Egerton's, Earls
of Bridgewater.
The greatest of the benefactors recorded by Stow seems to have been Throckmorton Trotman, who
gave to the parish ^^547 in all. In later times, Sir William Staines, Lord Mayor in 1800, was a liberal
donor, founding and endowing four almshouses for decayed parishioners ; also the Rev. Frederick W.
Blomberg, D.D., vicar of this church in 1833.
There was a school for 150 boys in the Freedom ; also another for 50 girls, supported by the
donation of the Lady Eleanor Holies, the Haberdashers' Free School. There were six almshouses, founded
by Mr. Allen, also the Lorrimer's almshouses.
John Buckeridge (d. 1631), Bishop of Rochester, was vicar here; also William Fuller (d. 1659), Dean
of Durham; Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626), Bishop of Chichester, Ely, and Winchester; John Rogers,
(1679-1729), chaplain to the Prince of Wales (afterwards George II.) ; John Dolben (1625-86), Archbishop
of York ; William H. Hale (1795-1870), Master of Charterhouse.
The churchyard contains a drinking fountain in the shape of the old Cripplegate,
which is neatly laid out and intersected by a public footpath; there is also an interesting
relic, a bastion of the old London Wall, 36 feet wide and about 1 2 feet high, the most
perfect fragment of the wall now existing. It is of inconsiderable height, not more
than I 2 feet, and made of many odd pieces of different kinds of stone, laid in cement.
It looks solid enough to last another 400 years. Ivy grows over it and over the
adjoining wall, which is a modern addition. Within this bastion was formerly a small
religious house called St. James-on-the-Wall (see Mcdurval London, vol. ii. p. 368).
The backs of great warehouses and the east side of the box-like vicarage surround
the churchyard. Over the entry from Fore Street are several very old houses.
We are outside the limits of the Fire here, as the date of the entry, 1660, testifies.
This entry has a semicircular canopy or pediment containing this date, and the names
of the churchwardens of the period, deeply and clearly cut. On either side are the
representations of two large hour-glasses. A skull and cross-bones on the one side,
and an hour-glass on the other, are carved in relief below, and the whole is covered
with plaster. The backs of the houses are covered with overlapping pieces of
wood which rise right up to the gable ends. Facing the street, there are projecting
bays running up the front containing windows.
The street, London Wall, until the middle of the eighteenth century, consisted
of a south row of houses facing the wall itself In two places the space before the
wall was occupied by churchyards, that of Allhallows-on-the-Wall and that of St.
Alphage. Farther to the east, St. Martin Outwich also had a burial-ground beside
the wall. The pulling down of the wall, the building of houses upon it and against
it on either side, was the work of many years. To this day there are houses on the
north side of the street to which access is gained by a step, showing that they were
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
8-
built actually on the wall. Towards the end of the eighteenth century a long piece
of wall, where is now the opening to Finsbury Square, was taken down to allow of
more sunshine in the front of Bethlehem Hospital. The appearance of the street
at that time was very pleasing. Sion College, the churches of Allhallows and
St. Alphage, and the Armourers' Hall, with the venerable wall on the north, gave it
ONDON WALL
a very striking and picturesque character. It is a great pity that the wall was taken
down. The distance marked by the length of a lane connecting London Wall with the
south side of Fore Street gives the breadth of the wall and of the town ditch beyond.
At the east end of London Wall is the church of
ALLHALLOWS, LONDON WALL
This church stands on the old Roman wall erected in the third century, and probably marks the site
of one of the earliest Christian churches built in this country.
84 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The earliest authentic records give particulars of a church on the present site, which dates from the
year a.d. 1300, and there is little doubt that it replaced an earlier structure, which had stood since the
Norman Conquest, and had fallen into disrepair. In a.d. 1474 Allhallows Chapel was constructed,
probably for the accommodation of the Ankers, or Anchorites, who were closely associated with the church.
The most famous of these was Sir Simon, or Master Anker, the author of a devotional book which has been
preserved in the British Museum, entitled The Fruits of Redemption, who was a great benefactor to Allhallows.
In A.D. 1527 a new aisle was added to the church. Possibly Sir Simon, when he attached himself to
Allhallows, discarded the loft over the chapel, and settled himself in a cell in the bastion of the old
Roman wall, which now forms the vestry. If, as is probable, he had taken a vow never to emerge from
his retirement, it may be that when the new aisle was added he was persuaded to place his eloquence at
the disposal of the parishioners, by consenting to preach on condition that a private passage was made from
his cell leading straight into the pulpit. This would e.xplain why, when the present church was built, the
conditions were reproduced by which the pulpit is not accessible from the church, but can only be reached
by a staircase leading through the vestry.
The list of rectors can only be traced back to a.d. 1335, but there is an interesting record in the
Croniques de Londres, which mentions that in a.d. 1320 the priest of Allhallows (whose name is not given)
was murdered by Isabel de Bury, who took refuge in the church, but the Bishop of London would not
allow her to seek sanctuary there, so she was seized, and was hanged five days afterwards.
The patronage of Allhallows was for many centuries in the hands of the Prior and Convent of Holy
Trinity, Aldgate. At the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century it passed to the Crown,
and since then has belonged to the Lord Chancellor.
The church was fortunate enough to escape destruction during the Great Fire in 1666, but it fell into
a ruinous state about a century later, and had to be demolished. The present structure, for the erection of
which a special Act of Parliament was passed, was commenced in a.d. 1765, and cost ^^3000. The archi-
tect was George Dance the younger, and it was his brother, Sir Nathaniel Dance Holland, R.A., who pre-
sented to the church the magnificent painting which hangs over the altar. It was a copy made by himself
of the famous picture in the Church of the Conception at Rome by Pietro Berretini di Cortona, a Florentine
painter of repute who died in 1669. The subject is the restoration to sight of Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul) by
Ananias at Damascus The fifteenth-century monk in the crowd gives a quaint touch of mediaevalism to
the scene.
The architecture of the church deserves a passing notice. The plan is intended to reproduce a
modified Roman Basilican church, but the evidences of the Greek revival are shown in the character of the
Ionic capitals of the interior columns, as well as in the famous Greek honeysuckle ornament, which appears
both in the Roman barrel-vault of the ceiling and in the frieze round the interior walls. The church is
almost unique in representing the transition stage between the Italian renaissance and the short-lived intro-
duction of the Greek style.
Among the most famous rectors during the nineteenth century were the Rev. \\'illiam Beloe, the well-
known translator of Herodotus and Aulus Gellius ; the Rev. Robert Nares, the Shakespearian glossary
writer ; and the Rev. George Davys, who was tutor to the late Queen Victoria, and became successively
Rector of Allhallows, Dean of Chester, and Bishop of Peterborough.
Returning to our section, from which we have somewhat strayed, we find Wood
Street has been already described.
In Noble Street stood the houses of Sir Nicholas Bacon and Sergeant Fleet-
wood, Recorder of London. This street is dismissed by Stow in a few words ;
it faced the City Wall westward, and so long as the \\'all was preserved there
was an open space of twenty feet at least free from buildings, while without there
was the City Ditch. It began at the end of Foster Lane, having the Church of
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 85
St. John Zachary in the east, and on the west, separated by a block of houses, the
Church of St. Anne-of-the-Willows. Going up the street we pass Lilypot Lane,
Oat Lane, leading to St. Mary Staining Church (see p. 47), and two or three
courts.
At the south end of Noble Street was Engain Lane, called also Maiden Lane,
Ingelene Lane, or Ing Lane. Here a Roman pavement was found {Proceedings
of Soc. Aiitiq. Series, i. 2. p. 184). Riley, in his Introduction to the Memorials,
thinks that this lane is lost. He supposes, however, that the St. Michael " Hoggene
Lane" was St. Michael Oueenhithe, instead of St. Michael by Huggin Lane, which
is adjacent.
A continuation of Maiden Lane is St. Anne's Lane or Distaff Lane.
In 1339, William de Clif bequeaths tenements in Igene Lane "elsewhere called
Ing Lane and Engaynes end, afterwards Maiden Lane" (Prideaux, Goldsmiths'
Company, vol. i. p. 4). In 1560, "Mother Lowndes" had a melting furnace in
Maiden Lane. In 1627, Lord Nowell had the lease of a house in the lane. In
1642, Lord Campden wanted to purchase the messuage of which he held a lease,
but was refused. In Staining Lane stood the almshouses of the Haberdashers
for the men of that Company.
In the modern Noble Street the new Post Office Hotel is a conspicuous object
on the east. Close by is Ye Noble Restaurant. Lilypot Lane is one consecutive
series of the less ornamental style of modern brick and stone warehouses. Ye Olde
Bell next to Oat Lane is evidently an old house, and, seen in the vista of the street,
has a considerable bow forward. It is plastered. The coat-of-arms over the wooden
doorway of the Coachmakers' Hall arrests attention for a moment. Then we see
Nos. 16 and 17 on either side over the entry of Fitchett's Court, which are really
old. They are of roughened red brick, dating from the rebuilding after the F'ire.
Fitchett's Court is a narrow stone-flagged ail de sac lined on either side with similar
houses. At the upper end is a modern glass - roofed building. It is inhabited
chiefly by manufacturers' agents, but is quaint, with a projecting bowed window
near the entry, and a dark woodwork doorway with two carved brackets supporting
the cornice. The house mentioned above in Noble Street on the north of the
Court is The Royal Mail Tavern. The remainder of this street contains no
point of interest. The Coachmakers' Hall stands on the east side of Noble Street,
north of Oat Lane.
THE COACHMAKERS COMPANY
The Hall stands on the site of Shelley House, owned by Sir Thomas Shelley k»ip Henry IV.
Afterwards it was named Bacon House by Nicholas Bacon. "A plain man, direct and constant,
without all finesse and doubleness," who dwelt here till the Queen, Elizabeth, made him Lord
Keeper in 1558, when he moved hence. He was the father of Lord Bacon, the philosopher. He
sometime rebuilt this house, and was buried in St. Paul's, where his effigy yet remains. After the
86 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Lord Keeper's departure, William Fleetwood, Recorder of London, lived here between 1575 and 1586,
yet he seems to have died in a house of his own building, in Noble Street, to the north of this (1593-94).
By continual industry, advanced by natural good parts, he attained to the name of an eminent lawyer.
He was a man of a merry conceit, eloquent and very zealous against vagrants, mass-priests, and papists.
In 1638, Sir Arthur Savage and others sold the house to one Charles Bostock, scrivener. Now, the
Common Scriveners had been a Company of this City by prescription, time out of mind. They made
regulations for their profession in 1373 ; in 1390 they began their Common Paper, a book of ordinances
and signatures, still extant. Yet there is no account of any Hall for them. In 1497 they met at the
dwelling-place of Henry Woodcock, their warden; in 1557 at Wax Chandlers' Hall. Their Charter of
Incorporation (January 28, 1616-17) ordained a Hall, so in 1631 they bought Bacon House for ^Sio.
After the Great Fire of 1666 they rebuilt this.
Afterwards the Coachmakers Company treated for its purchase, and bought it with houses in
Oat Lane, for ^1600, raised by gift. For though coaches had become common since the seventeenth
century began, and the Coach and Coach-Harness Makers had been incorporated in 1677, they had up till
then no Hall.
Early in the nineteenth century the Hall had become a warehouse, whose counting-house retained the
Coachmakers' arms and a name-list of their benefactors. In 1841 they rebuilt it ; in 1843 furnished
it anew by subscription.
In 1S70, borrowing money, they built the present Hall.
THE COACH AND COACH-HARNESS MAKERS COMPANY
The date of the first charter is 31st May, 29 Charles II., 1677, and is for the general protection and
supervision of the trade of coachmakers and coach-harness makers.
In the early days of the Company, the master, wardens, and assistants used to visit all the workshops
within the prescribed limits of the Company's sphere of action, but that seems to have engendered bad
feelings among the various members of the trade, and so gradually fell into desuetude; but in 1864
the Company granted the free use of the hall for the operative Coachmakers' Industrial Exhibition, which
was opened under the auspices of the Marquis of Lansdowne and the Very Reverend Dean Milman, D.D.
From that time to the present the Company have continuously offered prizes to those connected with
the trade.
At present the number of the livery is 115. The Corporate Income is ^970; there is no Trust Income.
The Company have of late held exhibitions and offered prizes for the encouragement of coach-building.
St. Olave's Churchyard is on the south side of Silver Street. A stone inscription
tells us that the road was widened 8 feet in 1865 just at this point. The disused
graveyard is now open to the public as a recreation ground, and the Metropolitan
Public Gardens Association have distributed seats about among the old tombs. Low
down by the steps at the entrance is a stone slab bearing a heading of a skull and
cross-bones, and beneath the following words :
This was the parish church of St. Olave's, Silver Street, destroyed by the Dreadful Fire in the
year 1666.
ST. OLAVE, SILVER STREET
This church was situated on the south side of Silver Street, in Aldersgate Ward. It was destroyed
in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of St. Alban's, \\'ood Street. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1343.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 87
The patronage of the church was always in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 1548 were 130.
No monuments of any interest are recorded.
The parish received two charitable gifts : a messuage purchased for ;^58, the gift of Roger James ;
and ^5 : los., to be paid every tenth year, the gift of Bernard Hyde.
In Silver Street, No. 24 is the Parish Clerks' Hall.
PARISH CLERKS
The Parish Clerks were first incorporated by 12 Henry HI., 1232, and confirmed by 14 Henry l\'.,
141 2. In 1547, the first year of Edward VI., all lands and properties belonging to fraternities not being
mysteries and crafts, were declared Crown possessions ; thus the Parish Clerks suffered the loss of their
hall in Bishopsgate, which was sold to Sir Robert Chester in 1548. In vain they disputed the King's
claim ; in vain obtained powerful support in the City, and hoped to win the day : Sir Robert pulled down
their hall, and they were homeless. Then they took quarters at the north-west corner of Broad Lane
in the Vintry ; the site is now thrown into the roadway of Queen Street Place. Immortal Machyn, in
his diary, 1562, records that, after service at the Guildhall chapel and procession, that year the Parish
Clerks went to "their own" hall to dine; this was the Broad Lane house. Little enough is known
of the premises: the Clerks were paying thirty-one nobles (j£^io:6:8) rent in 1583; in 1592 they
commenced publishing the Bills of Mortality ; on renewing the lease in 1628, for forty years, they handed
to "the superior" ;^4o as fine. By this time they had been reincorporated by the 8 James I., 161 1, and
were confirmed by 12 Charles I., 1636. They seem to have covered their rent from 1648 onwards by
letting the lower rooms and cellars on lease for ^11 per annum. In 1625 the Star Chamber granted
them permission to set up a printing-press in this hall for the purpose of issuing the weekly Bills of
Mortality. Here also the Company appointed its own joiner, carpenter, and bricklayer, nor omitted to
secure the all-important cook. By 1637 the bricklayer had new-tiled the roof; he charged ;6i2 : also the
joiner had wainscotted the parlour, but the Clerks thought his bill of ^13 rather too much; he must
include "some convenient work in addition," to be set up above the three doors in the newly wainscotted
room, then they would pay him and appoint him their official joiner. The Great Fire destroyed this hall
two years before the lease was up. For some time the Court of the Company wandered from tavern to
tavern, but in 1671 ultimately settled at their present hall in Silver Street.
Monkwell Street, anciently written Mugwell, Muggewell, or Mogwell Street,
was so called, according to Stow, after a well in the Hermitage of St. James at the
north end of the street. The Hermitage was a cell belonging to Garendon Abbey
where two or three of the brethren resided as chaplains. There is no doubt about the
house or the Hermitage, and very possibly there was a well within its small precinct.
At the same time the ancient form of the name, Mugwell, does not suggest the word
Monk. It seems probable that the name was originally Mugwell, and that after the
Dissolution the memory of the well was kept up by a corruption of the name. The
street appears to have been outside the industries of North London. It is mentioned
many times in the Ca/endar of Wills, but never in connection with workshops or
trading shops. Between 1277 and 1576 there are the entries of the street. They
all speak of rents, tenements, and houses. In the year 1349 we find a brewery m
the street. This naturally inclines us to think that there must have been a well—
.'Mugwell— to supply the brewery. In Riley's Memorials it is mentioned once only
88 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
in connection with a tourelle of London Wall near the street. The Hermitage was
succeeded by Lamb's Chapel.
THE BARBERS
This Fraternity should also be of extreme antiquity. When or why the barbers took upon themselves
the practice of surgery I do not know. It was the custom of the Roman Catholic Church to allow
ecclesiastics to become physicians on the condition (Council of Tours, 1163) that they abstained from fire
and steel ; Rabelais, for instance, in the fifteenth century, practised medicine subject to this condition.
But some kinds of surgery are necessary ; bone-setting, for instance, which was understood and performed
by the common people ; dentistry, which at first fell into the hands of barbers but afterwards became a
separate mystery practised by itinerants ; cupping, blood-letting, the dressing of wounds, and amputations
also fell into the hands of the barbers. But not of all the barbers. Surgery advanced by degrees ; it
became a distinct profession before it was recognised.
That the barbers practised blood-letting is proved by an ordinance of 1307 forbidding them to put
blood in their windows in view of folks. In 1308, Richard le Barber is presented to the mayor and
admitted Master over the trade of Barbers. He swore to make scrutiny among the craft, and if he
found any keeping brothels or acting unseemly he would distrain upon them. The oath indicates that
barbers were suspected of keeping disorderly houses ; in fact they looked after the bagnios, which
were always regarded with well-founded suspicion. Barbers were often appointed as gatekeepers. The
reason would seem difficult to find, until it is remembered that it was strictly forbidden that lepers
should enter the City, and that barbers were better able than other men from their medical knowledge
to detect them.
The earliest admission of a surgeon is recorded in the year 13 12. John of .Southwark is described
as "cirurgicus." Clearly he was that and nothing else; not a shaving man at all.
Some of them were wealthy. For instance, Hamo the Barber in 1340 was assessed at ;£io as his
contribution towards a forced loan of ^^5000 to the King.
In the year 1376, the fraternity was ruled by two masters representing the two divisions of barbers —
who could also let blood and draw teeth — and surgeons.
In the year 1388, the King sent writs all over the kingdom to inquire into the constitution of the
guilds and fraternities then existing in the country. The returns appear to have been lost. But the
return sent in by the barbers still exists in a copy preserved at Barbers' Hall. It is published in cxtenso
in Mr. Sidney Young's book. It is a long document, and it pours a flood of light upon the guilds and
their laws. The original is in Norman French.
Since the barbers were not yet incorporated, they had no authority except over their own members.
They could not, therefore, prevent the formation of a Fraternity of Surgeons, who practised without any
reference to the barbers. In 1376, the barbers, no doubt because of this rival guild, complained against
incompetent persons practising surgery, and prayed that two masters should rule the craft, and that none
should be admitted without examination. In 1390, the Surgeons' Guild obtained powers to appoint five
masters for the directing of those practising surgery and of women as well as men. The surgeons
thereupon tried to exercise the right of scrutiny over the barbers, who claimed and obtained the
protection of the City.
In the year 1461, Edward IV. granted the barbers a Charter of Incorporation.
The preamble to the Letters Patent, i Edward IV., by which the Company were incorporated,
recites that the Freemen of the Mystery of Barbers of the City of London, using the Mystery or Faculty
of Surgery, had for a long time exercised and sustained and still continued to exercise and sustain great
application and labour, as well about the curing and healing wounds, blows, and other infirmities as in
the letting of blood and drawing of teeth, and that by the ignorance and unskilfulness of some of the said
barbers, as well freemen of the said City as of others being foreign surgeons, many misfortunes had
happened to divers people by the unskilfulness of such barbers and surgeons in healing and curing wounds,
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 89
blows, hurts, and other infirmities, and that it was to be feared that the Hke or worse evils might thereafter
ensue unless a suitable remedy was speedily provided in the premises.
And it was thereby granted to the freemen of the said mystery of barbers in the said City of London,
that the said mystery and all the men of the said mystery, should be one body, and one perpetual
community, with power for electing two masters or governors, and that the said masters or governors and
commonalty and their successors might make statutes and ordinances for the government of the said
mysteries. And that the masters or governors for the time being, and their successors, should have the
survey, search, correction, and government of all the freemen of the said City being surgeons, using the
mystery of barbers in the said City, and other surgeons being foreigners practising the mystery of surgery
within the said City and suburbs thereof, and the punishment of them for offences in not perfectly executing,
performing, and using the said mystery, and should have the survey of all manner of instruments, plaisters,
and other medicines, and the receipts used by the said barbers and surgeons for the curing and healing of
sores, wounds, hurts, and such like infirmities. And that no barber using the said mystery of surgery
within the said City or suburbs should be thereafter admitted to exercise the same mystery unless he had
first been approved of as well instructed in that mystery by the said masters or governors, or their
successors sufficiently qualified in that behalf.
By the Act of Parliament of 32 Henry VIII., after reciting that within the said City of London there
were then two several and distinct companies of surgeons exercising the science and faculty of surgery,
the one company called the Barbers of London, and the other called the Surgeons of London, and that
the former were incorporated by the Letters Patent of i Edward IV., but the latter had not any manner
of incorporation ; it was enacted that the two several and distinct companies, and their successors, should
from thenceforth be united and made one entire and whole body corporate, which should thereafter be
called by the name of Masters or Governors of the Mystery or Commonalty of Barbers and Surgeons
of London.
The Letters Patent of i James and 5 Chas. L, granted and confirmed to the united companies : All
and singular the manors, messuages, lands, tenements, customs, liberties, franchises, immunities, jurisdic-
tions, and hereditaments of the united companies of barbers and surgeons then held by them and enjoyed
under any letters patent of any former kings and queens or by colour of any lawful prescription, with
power to make byelaws, annual elections, appoint examiners of surgeons, and that no person should exercise
surgery within the cities of London and Westminster or within the distance of seven miles of the said
cities, unless previously examined; and by the public letters testimonial of the said company, under their
common seal, and admitted to exercise the said art or mystery of surgery under the penalty therein
mentioned ; and that all persons so examined and admitted as aforesaid might exercise the art in any
other places whatsoever of the kingdom of England, with power to appoint lectures for instruction in the
principles and rudiments in the art of chirurgery.
By the Act of 18 Geo. 2, cap. 15, after reciting the before-mentioned Acts, and that the barbers
had for many years past been engaged in a business foreign to and independent of the practice of surgery,
and the surgeons being then become a numerous and considerable body, and finding their union with the
barbers inconvenient in many respects, and in no degree conducive to the progress of the art of surgery,
and that a separation of the corporation of barbers and surgeons would contribute to the improvement of
surgery, it was enacted that the said union and incorporation of barbers and surgeons should, after
June 24, 1745, be dissolved, and the surgeons were constituted a separate and distinct body corporate
by the name of the Master, Governors, and Commonalty of the Art and Science of Surgeons of London ;
and the barbers were thereby constituted a body corporate and commonalty perpetual, which should be
called by the name of the Master, Governors, and Commonalty of the Mystery of Barbers of London.
The Barbers Company, since their separation from the surgeons, have continued to conduct the
affairs of the Company.
The Hall of the Company is mentioned by Stow with certain particulars of their history :
" In this west side is the Barbers-Chirurgeons' hall. This Company was incorporated by means of
Thomas Morestede, esquire, one of the sheriffs of London 1436, chirurgeon to the kings of England,
90' SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Henry 1\'., V., and VI. : he deceased 1450. Then Jaques Fries, physician to Edward IV., and William
Hobbs, physician and chirurgeon for the same king's body, continuing the suit the full time of twenty years,
Edward IV., in the 2nd of his reign, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, became founders of the same
corporation in the name of St. Cosme and St. Damiane. The first assembly of that craft was Roger
Strippe, W. Hobbs, T. Goddard, and Richard Kent ; since the which time they built their hall in that
street, etc."
The number of the livery is about 120. There are no particulars as to the Corporate Income
of the Company. The Trust Income is about ^^650 per annum.
GROUP III
The third group of streets is that which is bounded on tlie south by Cannon
Street, on the east by Bishopsgate Street and Gracechurch Street, and on the
west by Moorgate Street, Princes Street, and Walbrook, and northward by the
City Hmits.
This, with Cheapside, includes the very heart and centre of the City. In it are
the streets called Cornhill, Lombard Street, Threadneedle Street, Throgmorton
Street, Lothbury, Princes Street, and Broad Street. Here were formerly the
ecclesiastical foundations of the Austin P'riars and St. Anthony's. Here are the
Royal Exchange, the Bank of England, the Mansion House, the offices of many
Banks and of Companies ; the site of such well-known houses as the Baltic, the
South Sea House, Garraway's, the Jerusalem, the London Tavern. In Lombard
Street we have the first house of City Firemen and the first Post Office. In Broad
Street is the site of Gresham House, afterwards Gresham College, founded with such
a noble ambition, fallen now to so poor a place.
In this place it is proposed to take the principal streets and lanes and to set
down whatever points of interest have not been touched upon in the large History of
London.
Cornhill has been a crowded street from time immemorial. Stow says that
there was here a corn market. It does not seem proved, however, that there ever
was one here. Loftie points out that the London corn market was on the east side
of St. Michael-le-Ouerne, opposite Bread Street. It has been suggested that the
family of Coren Hell or Corn Hill gave their name to the ward. In 1125 there is
Edward Heep Cornhill among those engaged in the conveyance of the Portsoken
to the Holy Trinity Priory. But a market of some sort was most certainly held
here, and it may have been originally a corn market.
We must not suppose that the division of trades and markets was ever rigidly
observed. If there were bakers in Bread Street, there may have been bakers
elsewhere for the general convenience. Then in 1347 {RWey's Mevioria is, p. 236)
there was a corn market in Gracechurch Street and another in Newgate Street.
The market was opposite the Franciscan House, so that perhaps we may accept
Stow's statement and conclude that the corn market of Cornhill gradually receded
9'
92 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
eastward into Gracechurch Street, where it was presently absorbed by Leadenhall
Market, which is reckoned by Stow as in Cornhill.
In 1310 proclamation was made in the City as follows :
"It is ordered and commanded on the King's behalf, that no man or woman
shall be so daring or so bold as from henceforth to hold a common market for any
manner of merchandise in the highway of Chepe after the hour of None, as hereto-
fore they have done ; nor yet in any other place within the City, save only upon
Cornhulle ; and that, from Matins until the hour of None, and not after : on pain of
forfeiture of the goods so carried there to sell, by way of holding common market
there" (Riley's Memorials, p. 75).
The hour of " None" is from two to three. What was the meaning of this
proclamation ? Why must the markets of Chepe be closed at three while those of
Cornhill remained open? But in 1369, because many cheats had been possible by
selling things after dark, it was ordered that at the ringing of the bell upon the Tun
at sunset (not the bell of St. Mary-le-Bow, which only belonged to West Chepe), all
shops and stalls were to be closed.
The Tun, of which mention has often been made in other volumes of this book,
was a small prison, something like a tun, built by Henry le Waleys in 1282.
Beside it was a conduit built by the same citizen. And there was a standard for
Thames water brought there by the contrivance of one Peter Morris, a Dutch-
man. Distances were reckoned from the standard of Cornhill.
Here were stocks for the sturdy beggar, the lazar, should he venture into the
City, and fraudulent dealers. Here was a pillory for similar offenders ; one William
Felde stood in it in 1375 for cheating hucksters of ale. Here Gyleson also, in 1348,
was so put to public shame for selling putrid pork, some of which was burned under
his nose to his unspeakable discomfort.
The earliest occupants of Cornhill, according to Strype, were drapers. It is,
however, certain that other trades were established there. Thus in 1302 there is a
baker of Cornhill; in 131 8 a bakehouse opposite the Pillory; in 1345 the City
poulterers are ordered not to sell east of the Tun on Cornhill, while the "foreign"
poulterers are sent to Leadenhall ; in 1342, "false " blankets are burned in Cornhill ;
in 1347 there is a turner of Cornhill; in 1364 a tailor; in 1365 the pelterers are
ordered to carry on their business in Cornhill, Walbrook, and Budge Row only ; in
1372 the blacksmiths are confined for the exhibition of their wares to Gracechurch
Street, St. Nicholas Fleshambles' (Newgate), and the Tun of Cornhill.
The punishment of common clerks illustrated by Stow is noted elsewhere. As
regards the Tun, he writes :
" By the west side of the foresaid prison, then called the Tun, was a fair well of
spring water curbed round with hard stone; but in the year 1401, the said prison
house, called the Tun, was made a cistern for sweet water, conveyed by pipes of lead
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
93
from Tiborne, and was from thenceforth called the Conduit upon Cornhill. Then
was the well planked over, and a strong prison made of timber called a cage, with a
pair of stocks therein set upon it, and this was for night walkers. On the top of
which cage was placed a pillory, for the punishment of bakers offending in the assize
THE PUMP IN' COKNIIILL, iSoO
of bread, for millers stealing of corn at the mill, for bawds, scolds, and other
offenders. As in the year 1468, the 7th of Edward IV., divers persons being
common jurors, such as at assizes were forsworn for rewards, or favour of parties,
were judged to ride from Newgate to the pillory in Cornhill, with mitres of paper on
their heads, there to stand, and from thence again to Newgate, and this judgment
was given by the mayor of London. In the year 1509, the ist of Henry VIII.,
94 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Darby, Smith, and Simson, ringleaders of false inquests in London, rode about the
city with their faces to the horse tails, and papers on their heads, and were set on
the pillory in Cornhill, and after brought again to Newgate, where they died for very
shame, saith Robert Fabian.
" The foresaid conduit upon Cornhill, was in the year 1475 enlarged by Robert
Drope, draper, mayor, that then dwelt in that ward ; he increased the cistern of this
conduit with an east end of stone and castellated it in comely manner " (Stow's
Survey, p. 208).
\n the time of Stow there were still standing some of the old houses, built of
stone in accordance with the regulations of Henry Fitz Aylwin and other mayors.
The danger of fire was thus diminished. But those houses which in many cases
were built round open courts, covering a large space and of no more than two stories
in height, were gradually taken down and houses of four or five stories built in their
place, a fact which must be remembered when we read of the Great Fire. All those
broad courts and open spaces which might have checked the Fire at so many points
were gone in 1666, and replaced by high houses standing together and by narrow
courts.
The Royal Exchange, the Bank of England, and the Mansion House are so
mixed up with the general history of London that they must be sought for in the
volumes that have preceded this.
The Weigh-house was the place where all merchandise brought across the sea
was taken to be weighed at the King's beam. " This house hath a master, and
under him four master porters, with porters under them : they have a strong cart,
and four great horses, to draw and carry the wares from the merchants' houses to
the beam and back again " (Stow, p. 73). The house was built by Sir Thomas
Lovell, "with a fair front of tenements towards the street." The cart therefore
was taken into an inner court through a gateway, as we might expect.
There were many taverns in and about Cornhill.
In the sixteenth century was still standing one of the old stone houses of which
we have spoken. This was popularly known as " King John's House." Now at
the granting of the commune to the City, John lodged at the house of Richard Fitz
Richer, the sheriff. Possibly this was the house. Pope's Head Alley marks the
site of the Pope's Head Tavern, which had the ancient arms of England, three
leopards between two angels, engraved in stone on the front. Stow thinks it may
have been a royal palace.
A perspective view of Cornhill at the present day gives a very fine effect.
The sides are lined with large buildings on the erection of which no time or expense
has been spared, and the protuberant stone decoration and the lines of enriched
windows give on the whole an appearance of wealth and dignity. Yet, taken singly,
there are i&\\ of these buildings that deserve any commendation. There is a same-
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 95
ness and want of originality. Everywhere are round-headed windows and stone
foliage ; everywhere the same shaped roof projections and pinnacles. The flagged
space in front of the Royal Exchange is decorated by trees in tubs, and on it stands
an equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington. This was executed by Sir Francis
Chantrey in 1844. The Royal Exchange lines the side of the street for some
distance and all round the ground-floor are shops, etc. Beyond it is a second open
space. The statue here facing southward is of Rowland Hill. The figure is on a
block of polished granite.
Beyond Finch Lane the Union Bank of Australia stands out as one of the
exceptions to the general monotony of the street. It is of white stone, in a severe
style without undue excrescences, and the chief ornament is a row of sculpturesque
figures supporting the cornice.
On the south side of Cornhill an entrance to St. Peter's Church first attracts
attention.
ST. PETER, CORNHILL
This church is possibly the most ancient in the City. It was practically rebuilt in the reign of
Edward IV. and thoroughly renovated in 1632, but so damaged by the Great Fire that after attempts at
restoration it had to be rebuilt. The present building was erected by Wren in 16S0-81. The earliest
known date of an incumbent is 1263 — one John de Cabanicis. There is an unbroken succession since
John de Exeter, 1282.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the family of Nevil before 1263, one of whom,
Lady Alice Nevil, conveyed it in 1362 to Richard, Earl of Arundell, for a term of years; in 1380 to
Thomas Coggeshall and others ; in 1402 to Hampweyde Bohern, Earl of Hereford. It was again conveyed
about, or shortly before, 1395 to Robert and Margaret Rykedon and others, who presented to it in 1405 ;
it was confirmed to Richard Whittington and others in 1408, who in turn confirmed it in 141 1 to the
Mayor and Commonalty of London, in whose successors it continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 500.
The church measures 80 feet in length, 47 feet in breadth, and 40 feet in height, and contains a
nave and two aisles separated from the central portion by Corinthian columns. There is a very fine
screen, one of the only two erected in the City of London, and the only one remaming in its original
position. The steeple, which rises at the south-west, attains a height of 140 feet, and consists of a tower
and cornice surmounted by a cupola, an octagonal lantern, and a spire, terminating in St. Peter's emblem,
the Key. The view of the e.xterior is blocked on the north by intervening houses, but on the south the
church is open to the churchyard.
Chantries were founded here by Roger FitzRoger previous to 1284; by Nicholas Pycot at the Altar
of St. Nicholas in 1312 ; by Philip de Ufford at the Altar of St. Katherine in 1321 ; by Robert de la
Hyde at the Altar of St. George in 1328; by William Elliot (William of Kingston) at the Altar of the
Holy Trinity, for himself, Sarah and Alynor his wives, and for his father and mother in 1375 ; by John
Foxton at the Altar of St. George in 1382 ; by John Waleys at the same altar in 1409 ; and by Dame Alice
Brudenel in 1437 to the Altar of St. Nicholas. There were also chantries founded by Richard Morley,
Peter Mason, and John Lane. The Guild or Fraternity of St. Peter was established in this church by
Henry IV. in 1403 at the intercession of Queen Johanna, William Aghton being rector. The valuation
of the Rectory temp Henry VIII. was ^39 : 5 : 7 A, to which was added tenths from the chantries amounting
to ^14: 14: 4.
A large number of monuments are recorded by Stow, some of the most notable of which were in
96
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
memory of: William of Kingston; Margery Clopton, widow of Robert Clopton ; Sir Christopher Morice,
Master Gunner of England to Henry VIII. ; Sir Henry Huberthorne, Merchant Taylor, and Lord Mayor
of the City ; Francis Breerewood, Treasurer of Christ's Hospital ; Sir William Bowyer. John Carpenter,
the famous Town Clerk of London and compiler of the Liber Albtis, was also buried here. In the vestry
is an interesting tablet copy of one hanging in St. Paul's Cathedral from a.d. 1300, and preserved from the
Great Fire, to the effect that this church was the first founded in London, and that it was erected by
King Lucius in 179 — a legend which Stow himself appears not to have believed. There is here, also.
ST. Peter's, cornhill
the old key-board and organ-stops used by Mendelssohn when he played in St. Peter's in 1840 and 1842.
The portraits of Bishop Beveridge and Bishop Waugh, both of whom were rectors here for some years,
hang on the walls. A fine manuscript Vulgate, with illuminations, written for the Altar of the Holy
Trinity in St. Peter's, is also preserved in the vestry.
Among the most important charities were those of: Laurence Thompson, 1601, who left ^"100 in
trust for tea, coal, and bread for the poor of the parish. William Walthal, 1606, who left ^246: 13:4,
;!C2oo of which was to be lent to the struggling shopkeepers of the parish, the interest to be distributed in
bread and coal. The Robert Warden (1609) bequest for Ash Wednesday sermons and Sunday bread to be
administered through the Poulterers Company. The Lucy Edge (1630) bequest for the weekly lecture. Sir
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 97
Benjamin Thorowgood's (1682) bequest of three shops at the west end of the church for the maintenance of
the organ and organist ; and the Gibbs' bequest (1864). Of these, all, with the exception of the Lucy Edge
and Gibbs' bequests, which provide for the Thursday lecturer, and part of the Robert Warden bequest,
which provides for the Ash Wednesday sermon before the Poulterers Company, have been appropriated,
with other endowments, by the City Parochial Charities, out of which common fund a yearly allowance is
made for the upkeep of the Church.
John Hodgkin, Bishop of Bedford, 1537, was rector here; also John Taylor (d. 1554), Bishop of
Lincoln; Francis White (d. 1638), Bishop of Ely; William Beveridge (1637-1708), Bishop of St. Asaph ;
John Waugh, Bishop of Carlisle, 1723 — he is buried in front of the present altar.
Next door to the church is another of the exceptions in the street, a well-
designed terra-cotta building. The building is in a late Perpendicular or Tudor
style, and is appropriately named Tudor Chambers. St. Peter's Alley leads to the
graveyard at the back of the church, which is cut in two by an abnormally broad
sweeping way up to the centre door. Plainly built chambers of many stories look
down on the dusty evergreens of the churchyard. The next object of interest is the
deeply recessed and beautifully ornamented porch of St. Michael, which stands back
a litde from the line of the street. By the side of the church is St. Michaels Alley,
which leads us to the graveyard. In this a small cloister or entry with vaulted roof
leads through to the churchyard, a space of newly turned soil with a fringe of the
inevitable evergreen bushes.
The great London coffee-house was set up in St. Michael's Alley in 1652 by
one Pasqua Rosee.
ST. MICHAEL, CORNHILL
The body of St. Michael's Church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren in 1672;
the tower was injured and pulled down in 1722, when the present tower, also the work of Wren, was
erected. In 1858 it was greatly altered by Sir Gilbert Scott. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1287.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: Alnoth the priest, before 1133, who granted it to
the Abbot and Convent of Evesham, who gave it in 1 133 to Sparling the priest; the Abbot and Convent
of Evesham, who granted it in 1 505 to Simon Hogan, who bequeathed it to the Drapers' Company, who
presented to it in 1515, and in whose successors it continued.
The church measures 87 feet in length, 60 feet in breadth, and 35 feet in height, and contains two
aisles divided from the nave by Doric columns. The church was originally in the Italian style, but the
alterations in 1858-60 by Sir Gilbert Scott give the appearance of a nineteenth-century imitation of
medievalism. The tower is Gothic in architecture, and contains three stories crowned by a parapet from
the angles of which four pinnacles rise up. The total height is 130 feet. The church has always been
famous for its bells, of which it possesses 12.
Chantries were founded here by : Walter de Bullingham, to which John de Bourge was admitted
chaplain, August 22, 1390; Thomas Baker augmented the endowment by;^2:i8:8; Ralph More was
chaplain in 1548, "a man of 50 yrs. who hath lyen bedridden this 18 years"; Simon Smith; William
Comerton at the Altar of Blessed Virgin Mary ; Hamo Box, for which the King granted his licence, July 28,
1321; William Rus, whose endowment for this and other purposes fetched ^27:13:4 in 1548, when
William Penne was priest " of the age of 38 years, and of indifferent learning and hath none other living but
this his yearly stipend of ^8; Andrew Smythe, who endowed it with lands, etc., which fetched £\2 in
1548, when John Paddye was priest " of the age of 26 years, indifferently learned, having no other living or
promotion over and above his stipend oi £t. (> : i " ; Simon Mordonne, mayor, 1368, who left tenements
7
98
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
valued at ^9 in 154S, when John Campyon was priest, "of the age of 66 years, a good singer and
indifferently well learned, having none other living besides this his stipend of ^6:18:4"; John
Langhorne, who endowed it with tenements which yielded ;£io:8s. in 154S, when Abail Mortcock was
priest, " of the age of 36 years, whose qualities, conversation, and learning is as the other and hath none
other living but this his stipend of ^6 : 13 : 4." The King granted his licence to Peter Smart and others
to found a guild in honour of St. Anne and Our Lady, September 27, 1397, which was valued at
^17:13:4 in 1548, when Sir William Bryck was chaplain "of the age of 33 years, moderately well
learned." John Shopman and others have licence to found a guild in honour of Blessed Virgin Mary
with special devotion to St. Michael the Archangel, October 4, 1442.
Alderman Robert Fabian (d. 1513) was buried here in 1513; he compiled an elaborate chronicle,
confectioner's shop, cornhill
The Concordance of Histories, dealing with France as well as England. This church is specially connected
with the antiquary John Stow, and both his father and grandfather were buried here. Against the north
walk there is a monument in memory of John Vernon, erected in place of one consumed by the Fire, by
the Merchant Taylors in 1609; he was a donor of several large legacies. In 1609 John Cowper was
buried here — founder of a family whose memory is still preserved in connection with Cowper's Court,
Cornhill. To this family the poet Cowper belonged.
The parish was extremely rich in charitable gifts. Brass tablets are affixed to the sides of the tower
recording the dates, etc., of repairs, and the benefactors in connection, amongst whom are the following :
Sir John Langham, ^500; Sir Edward Riccard, ;^ioo; James Clotheroe, ^^50. Other benefactors
were Robert Drope, donor of ^30, and his wife Jane, afterwards Viscountess Lisle, of ^£^90.
William Brough (d. 1671), Dean of Gloucester, and author of several religious works, was rector
here; also Robert Poole-Finch (1724-1803), chaplain of Guy's Hospital and a preacher of some eminence.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
99
No. 15 Cornhill is the oldest shop of its class in the Metropolis. The window
is set in a carved wooden framework, painted green, which encloses the small glass
panes in three arches. It was established as a confectioner's shop in the time of
George I., and it is a confectioner's still. Within, the low roof and thick woodwork
testify its age. It might easily be overlooked, as the brick house rising above it
presents no noticeable feature.
Of Change Alley one has to note that Jonathan's Coffee-house was the
resort of those who dealt and dabbled in stocks.
GARKAWAY S COl-FEKllOU^E
Why did 'Change Alley waste thy precious hours.
Among the fools who gap'd for golden show'rs ?
No wonder if we found some poets there,
Who live on fancy and can feed on air ;
No wonder they were caught by South-Sea schemes,
Who ne'er enjoyed a guinea but in dreams.
Here also were Garraway's and Robins' Coffee-houses. In 1722 "the better
sort," according to Defoe, who carried on business as a hosier in Freemason's
Court, met at these coffee-houses before going to the Exchange.
The present Stock Exchange was not erected till the year 1801.
lOO SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Strype thus speaks of the Alley as it was after improvements :
" Exchange Alley, that lies next eastward, hath two passages out of Cornhill ;
one into Lombard Street, and another bending east into Birchin Lane. It is a
large Place vastly improved, chiefly out of an house of Alderman Backwall's, a
Goldsmith, before the Great Fire, well built, inhabited by tradesmen ; especially that
passage into Lombard Street against the Exchange, and is a place of a very con-
siderable concourse of Merchants, seafaring men and other traders, occasioned by
the great Coffee houses, Jonathan's and Garraway's, that stand there. Chiefly now
brokers, and such as deal in buying and selling of Stocks, frequent it. The Alley is
broad and well paved with free-stones, neatly kept. The Fleece Tavern, seated in
Cornhill, hath a passage into this Alley, being a very large house and of great resort."
At No. 41 Thomas Gray the poet was born on December 24, 17 16.
Change Alley is at present a winding and tortuous thoroughfare. It bears the
date 1886 over the western entry, and contains many red and glazed white brick
houses. Close by this entry is the Bakers' Chop House, a curious little old building
with projecting windows of dark wood.
In the next portion of Change Alley is a well-built red brick building by
R. Norman Shaw, with a slab on the north-east corner bearing the inscription :
The site of Garraway's Coffee House, rebuilt 1S74 ;
and beneath is a large stone grasshopper.
Gracechurch Street, called also Grass church, Garscherche, and Gracious
Street, was formerly a market for hay, corn, malt, cheese, etc. There was uncertainty
about the name, for in 1329 we find it written Grescherche Street, in 1333
Grascherche Street, a form of the name which is afterwards repeated.
In 1275 there is a will by one Martin de Garscherche bequeathing property
to his sons and daughters; in 1294, 1311, and 1324, we hear of tenements in
Garscherche, which seems as if the place was then an open market, not yet settled
down to a street ; perhaps, however, the dignity of a street was sometimes conferred
upon it, for in 1296 there is mention of Leadenhall in Garscherch Street, and in 1342
it is also named as a street.
In 1320 one of the supervisors of shoes was Richard le Cordewaner of
" Gras cherche " ; in 1347 a jury of " Graschirche," consisting of a butcher and
eleven others, accused John de Burstalle of selling corn at more than the legal
price, and he was sent to prison for forty days; in 1372 it was ordained that the
blacksmiths should send their work either to " Graschirche " or to the " Pavement "
by St. Nicholas Fleshambles, or by the Tun on Cornhill, and should stand by their
work openly. Therefore the market here was not confined to hay and corn. In
1386 one Thomas Stokes was in trouble for pretending to be an officer and taker of
ale for the household of the King, under which pretence he marked with an arrow-
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY loi
head several barrels in the brewery of William Roke of Graschirche. There was
therefore a brewery in the market. One finds so many breweries scattered about
the City that one asks how they got the water; it- must certainly have been drawn
up from a local well. Another case of personating an officer of the King was that of
William Redhede in 1417, who tried to carry off certain bushels of wheat at
Graschirche pretending that they were for the King. He was clapped into prison
and then put in pillory. " Upon the three market days ensuing he was to be taken
each day from the Prison of Newgate to the Market called ' le Cornmarket '
opposite to the Friars Minors and there the cause of the judgment aforesaid was to
be proclaimed : and after that he was to be taken through the middle of the high
street of Chepe to the Pillory on Cornhille ; and upon that he was to be placed on
each of those three days there to stand for one hour each day, the reason of his
sentence being then and there proclaimed, and after that he was to be taken from
thence through the middle of the high street of Cornhill to the Market of Graschirche
aforesaid, where like proclamation was to be made : and from thence back to prison."
Roman remains, such as vases, bronzes, coffins, have been found in this street.
In 1654 Brethmer, citizen of London, gave to the Church at Canterbury his
messuage at " Gerscherche " as also the Church of Allhallows, Lombard Street.
The street is continually mentioned in connection with tenements, messuages,
houses, and rents.
In more modern times Richard Tarleton the actor lived in Gracechurch Street,
at the sign of the Saber. Probably he acted in the courtyard of the Cross Keys
in the same street, licensed in 1570, but only for that year. Many pageants and
processions were conducted through Gracechurch Street.
In Gracechurch Street at the corner of Fenchurch Street was St. Benet's Church.
St. Benet, Grasschurch, was so called after St. Benedict. The date of its foundation is unknown.
It was burnt down in the Great Fire, rebuilt and finished in 1685. In 186S the building was pulled down,
and in 1869 and 1870 the site was occupied by offices. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1 170.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who granted it
about 1 142 to Algarus the priest, for his life.
Houseling people in 1548 were 223.
A chantry was founded here in the chapel of St. Mary and St. Katherine for Lady Joan Rose ; the
endowment fetched ;!C^i4 : 3 : 4 in 1548.
Few notable monuments in this church are recorded by Stow. It originally contained Queen
Elizabeth's monument. The parish was rich in charitable gifts, some of the donors of which were :
Mrs. Doxie of ;^So, for the better maintenance of the parson; Lady Elizabeth Newton .;^4o, and many
others whose names are not recorded.
In modern Gracechurch Street, at the corner of Eastcheap, is a fine new building
of the National Provident Institution for Mutual Life Assurance. The courts opening
out of the street are lined with countless window reflectors and are very monotonous.
The Russian Bank is fine and of great height ; on the west there is a long line of
I02 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
brick and stucco buildings which can boast no style at all. The street is given over
to merchants, solicitors, bankers, agents, etc. The great building at the corner of
Lombard Street is the City Linen Company Bank, and is conspicuous by reason
of its stone ornamentation.
The northern portion of the street is not remarkable for architectural beauty.
The street consists chiefly of great square blocks of buildings interspersed with dull
early nineteenth-century brick boxes. In Bell Yard there is an almost unbroken line
of old houses on the south side, and at the end the half-embedded gilt bell over a
public-house points to the name-derivation. On the east of Gracechurch Street a
high arch of rusticated stone leads to Leadenhall market (see p. i6o). Gracechurch
Buildings follow, and Bull's Head Passage, leading to Skinner's Place, is lined by
open stalls. The flat end of St. Peter's, Cornhill, faces Leadenhall Buildings.
Lombard Street. — Shops and tenements are mentioned belonging to Lombard
Street in the fourteenth century. The Calendar of Wills has a reference in the
year 1327. Riley's earliest reference is 1382.
When the street first received its name is not known. Stow ventures back no
further than Edward II., but there were Italian merchants before that time :
" Then have ye Lombard Street, so called of the Longobards, and other
merchants, strangers of divers nations assembling there twice every day, of what
original or continuance I have not read of record, more than that Edward II., in the
1 2th of his reign, confirmed a messuage, sometime belonging to Robert Turke,
abutting on Lombard Street, toward the south, and toward Cornehill on the north,
for the merchants of Florence, which proveth that street to have had the name of
Lombard Street before the reign of Edward II. The meeting of which merchants
and others there continued until the 22nd of December, in the year 156S; on the
which day the said merchants began to make their meetings at the burse, a place
then new built for that purpose in the ward of Cornhill, and was since by her
majesty, Queen Elizabeth, named the Royal Exchange."
The Lombards came over at first as collectors of the papal revenue ; but they
did much more than this : they opened up trade between the Italian towns and
London — every year the fleets of Genoa and Venice brought goods from the East
and from the Mediterranean. Moreover, the Italians in England sent wool from
England instead of precious metals by way of Florence, if not other cities. Their
wealth enabled them to take the place of the Jews in their expulsion ; if the City was
suddenly and heavily taxed they made advances to the nierchant who could not
immediately realise. Of course they charged heavy interest — as heavy as the
necessities of the case permitted — and they became unpopular. The lending of
money, forbidden and held in abhorrence, was absolutely necessary for the conduct
of business : those who carried on this trade naturally lived together, if only to be
kept in knowledge of what was going on. And as the progress of trade went on,
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
lOi
their power increased year by year. Lombard Street, where they lived, was the daily
mart of the London merchants before the erection of the Exchange.
" Jane Shore's husband was a goldsmith in this street ; so at least the old ballad,
printed in Percy's Re/iques, would lead us to believe. No. 68, now Messrs. Martin,
Stones and Martin's (bankers), occupies the site of the house of business of Sir
Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange. When Pennant wrote, the
Messrs. Martin still possessed the original grasshopper that distinguished his house.
'How the Exchange passeth in Lombard Street' is a phrase of frequent
.^^^&rm
^■'''■i;r:..-^i]|u;-;
«1 'mnnrinn ,'i'" ■
E2^
Popib ' Hoose.'"--
POPES HOUSE IN PLOUGH COURT
occurrence in Sir Thomas Gresham's early letters. No. 67, now in the occupation
of Messrs. Glyn and Co. (bankers), belongs to the Goldsmiths' Company, to whom
it was left by Sir Martin Bowes, an eminent goldsmith in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. Guy, the founder of Guy's Hospital, was a bookseller in this street.
The father of Pope, the poet, was a linendraper in Lombard Street ; and here, in
1688, his celebrated son was born. Opposite the old-fashioned gate of the Church
of St. Edmund the Martyr is a narrow court, leading to a Quakers' Meeting-house
where Penn and Fox frequently preached" (Cunningham's Handbook).
The house in which Pope is said to have been born is that at the end of
Plough Court.
I04 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Between the Church of St. Edmund and the west end of the street were two
mansions formerly belonguig, one to William de la Pole, Knight Banneret, and
"King's Merchant" in the reign of Edward III., and afterwards to his son,
Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, and the other to Sir Martin Bowes, mayor,
1545. Here also was the Cardinal's Hat Tavern, one of the oldest of the City
taverns, mentioned in 1492.
The modern street gives a general impression similar to that of Cornhill.
Everywhere we are confronted by solid banks and insurance offices, which seem
to divide the ground between them.
George Yard contains the imposing building of the Deutsche Bank in London,
as well as a couple of large houses let in flats, and presents a decidedly dignified
appearance. The Bank is an immense building, with a granite-columned portico,
and rusticated stonework round it.
Of the two churches now remaining in this street, one is
ST. EDMUND, KING AND MARTYR
This church was anciently called by some St. Edmund Grass-Church, because of its proximity to the
grass market. It was burnt down in the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren in 1690. In 1864 and 1880 the
church was restored. After the Great Fire, the parish of St. Nicholas Aeon was annexed. The earliest
date of an incumbent is 1150.
The patronage was in the hands of the Prior and Convent of Holy Trinity, London, but
Henry ^'III. seized it and granted it to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1545, in whose successors
it continues.
Houseling people in 1548 were 240.
The present church measures 59 feet in length, 40 feet in breadth, and 57 feet 9 inches in height.
It is singular from its standing north and south, but this was forced upon Wren by the position of the
ground at his disposal. There are no aisles. The steeple, which rises at the south, consists of a three-
storied tower and octagonal lantern and spire, and a pedestal supporting a finial and vane. The lantern is
ornamented at the angles by flaming urns, in allusion to the Great Fire. A projecting clock is attached
to the face of the second story and is a prominent feature in Lombard Street. The total height is
136 feet.
Chantries were founded here : By Thomas Wyllys for himself and Christian his wife, whose endowment
fetched ;^24 in 1548, when Richard Auncell was chaplain; by and for Matilda at Vane, relict of John
Atte Rose, dedicated to SS. John, Peter, and Thomas the martyr, to which John Reynes was admitted
chaplain on the resignation of William Belgrave, September 25, 1382 ; by Richard Toky for himself and
Matilda his wife, to which William Howes de Blackolm was admitted chaplain, October 20, 1362; by
John Longe, whose endowment fetched £t,S in 1548, when William Myller and Edward Mamyn or
Hamonde were chaplains.
The old church contained a monument to John Shute, a painter-stainer, who wrote one of the earliest
English works on Architecture. He died in 1563. On the east wall a monument commemorates Dr.
Jeremiah Milles, Dean of Exeter, President of the Society of Antiquaries, and rector of the united parishes,
who died in 1 784.
Addison was married in this church to the Dowager Countess of \Var\vick and Holland in 17 16.
This parish was not rich in charitable gifts. Some of the donors were : Richard Jaie of 45s. for bread,
etc., for the poor; Mrs. Joan Lowen of 52s. ; Mrs. Anne Whitmore, ^5.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 105
ALLHALLOWS, LOMBARD STREET
This church went by the name of Allhallows " Grasse Church " from its proximity to the grass and
hay market. It was consumed by the Great Fire, but subsequently rebuilt and completed by Wren in
1694. The parish of Allhallows was one of the thirteen " Peculiars" of the Archbishop of Canterbury in
the City of London. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1279.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: Brihterus, citizen of London, who in 1052 gave
it to the Prior and Convent of Christ Church, Canterbury ; the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, in whose
successors it continued, who first presented to it in 1552.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
The interior of the church is constructed on a rectangular plan, without aisles, and with only one
pillar, rising at the centre of the west gallery. It is 84 feet in length, 52 feet in breadth, and the height
30 feet. The church contains much good woodwork, the carved oak altar-piece being especially fine. The
stone tower, which rises at the south-west, is divided into three stories, the lowest of which has a large
doorway at its south face ; the second is pierced by a circular-headed window, and the third by square
openings with louvres, each surmounted by a cornice. The height of the tower is about 85 feet. The
church is entered by a porch and vestibule through a doorway in the tower.
Chantries were here founded by : John Chircheman, citizen, and Richard Tasburgh, late parson of
Heylesdon County, Norfolk, July 15, 1392 (Pat. 16 Richard II. p. i. m. 25); John Buck, whose endow-
ment yielded ;^40 : 6s. in 1548; John Maldon, whose endowment yielded ;£^2o : 3 : 4 in 154S, when
Edward Hollonde was priest ; William Trystor, who endowed it with ;^6 : 6 : 8 in 1548.
The most notable of the monuments in this church is to the memory of Simon Horsepoole, Sheriff
of London in 1591.
The sole donor of charities seems to have been this same Simon Horsepoole, who appointed to
this parish £4 : 4s. per annum.
The original church was indebted for its south aisle, steeple, and other sections to John Warner,
Robert Warner, and the Pewterers.
Clothes were found for forty boys, as well as books, and the boys were put out as apprentices
by a Society of Langbourn Ward.
The most notable rectors were : Robert Gilbert, Bishop of London, 1436; Thomas Langton (d. 1501),
Bishop of St. David's and Sarum, and of AVinchester ; Francis Dee (d. 1638), Bishop of Peterborough.
At the corner formed by the junction of Lombard and King WilHam Streets
stands the Church of
ST. MARY WOOLNOTH
" The church was founded by Wulfnuth, son of Earl Godwin, about the time of the Confessor. This
name was corrupted into Woolnoth " (Rev. J. M. S. Brooke, Rector). It was rebuilt, according to Newcourt,
from its very foundations about 1438. Though damaged by the Great Fire, it was not destroyed,
and Wren repaired and rebuilt various parts in 1677. In 17 16 the building was pulled down and the
present church, the work of Nicholas Hawksmoor, was commenced and finished in 1727. The earliest
date of an incumbent is 1252.
The patronage of the church, before 1252, was in the hands of: The Prioress and Convent of
St. Helen's, London; then Henry VUL, who seized it and granted it to Sir Martin Bowes, Alderman
and Mayor of London, whose son and heir, Thomas Bowes, sold it to William Pelhani, December 19,
1 571; Robert Viner Miles, and several other persons, the last being Sir George Broke-Middleton, who
presented to it in 1883.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
The interior of the church is almost square. It contains twelve Corinthian columns, placed at the
io6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
angles in groups of three, and supporting an entablature prolonged to the walls by means of pilasters.
There is a clerestory above, pierced on its four sides by semicircular windows. The tower, which rises
at the west, contains the doorway in its basement story ; the cornice is surmounted by a pedestal
supporting composite columns, and the summit is divided into two turrets with balustrades above. The
north front has three niches, each enclosing two Ionic columns on pedestals ; the south front is plain.
Chantries were founded here by: Gregory de Rokeslie, Mayor of London, 1275-81, for himself and
Amicia his wife, to which John de Pory was admitted chaplain, July 15, 1333 ; Thomas Noket, for himself
and for Alice, wife of Gregory de Norton, called atte Shire, at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
St. Anne, in the south side of the church, to which William Weston was admitted chaplain, January 28,
1400-1401 ; the endowment fetched ^13 : 6 : 8 in 1548, when William Wentors, or Ventrys, and Richard
Browne were chaplains; Henry Brige, Knt, whose endowment yielded ^13: 13:4 in 1548, when John
Meres was priest.
Sir Hugh Brice, keeper of the King's Exchange under Henry VIl., was buried in this church ;
he built a chapel here called the "Channel "; also Sir Thomas Ramsey, Lord Mayor in 1577 ; William
Hilton, Merchant Taylor and Taylor to Henry VHL, and Sir ALirtin Bowes, patron of the church for over
thirty years.
Among the later monuments. Stow records one in memory of Sir William Phipps, who discovered
a sunken Spanish ship in 1687 containing silver to the value of ;^3oo,ooo sterling, and one commemorating
Sir Thomas Vyner, goldsmith, and Mayor of London, who died in 1665.
The list of legacies and bequests was too long for insertion, Stow says, but was to be seen by any one
in the Parish Book. He records a gift of ;iCi : 6s. per annum from Sir Nicholas Rainton, and one of
y^3 : 15 : 8 paid by the Merchant Taylors.
Richard Rawlins (d. 1536), Bishop of St. David's, was rector here; also John Newton, author of
" Olney Hymns."
King William Street contains few associations of interest, having been built,
as its name implies, in the reign of the fourth monarch of that name, whose statue on
a pedestal, which outrivals every other in the City on the score of weight alone, stands
at the south end. This is the work of \V. Nixon and was set up in December 1844.
The figure is 15 feet 3 inches high, and the whole statue weighs 20 tons. Special
arrangements had to be made for carrying the Metropolitan Railway beneath it.
The statue is on the site of the Boar's Head Tavern, noted in old days as a famous
rendezvous, and familiar to readers of Shakespeare from Falstaff's frequent resort
thither. Goldsmith and Washington Irvine have written on the Boar's Head
Tavern, which rose again after the Fire : the sign of the later house is preserved in
the Guildhall Museum.
King William Street was cut through various lanes, which are now dealt with.
At the north end in Gresham Place is Gresham Club, which was built in 1S44 ; the
architect was Henry Flower. It is for merchants and City men ; the entrance fee
is twenty guineas, annual subscription eight guineas, and the membership is limited
to 500. It is a grey stone building with triangular stone pediments projecting over
the upper windows.
St. Clement's Lane leads to St. Clement's Church. I find a reference to rents
in Clement's Lane in 1322. In 1371 the "good folk" of Candelwyke Street and
Clement's Lane petitioned the mayor against certain plumbers who proposed to melt
/':.!(.'> /a/ A^t-iKy.
ST. MARV W'OOLXurn
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 107
their lead in a place hard by called the Woodhaugh ; they said that the vapours were
noxious and even fatal to human life, that trustworthy people would depose to the
mischief caused by inhaling these fumes, and that the shaft of the furnace was too
low. In the end the plumbers were allowed to go on with their work, provided
that they raised the shaft. In the lane was the bank in which Samuel Rogers was
a partner.
In Church Court, we come to the ancient graveyard of St. Clement, a minute
space with one great shapeless tomb in the centre of the asphalt and a ftiw small
erect tombstones in the little border runninof inside the railings.
ST. CLEMENT, EASTCHEAP
The Church of St. Clement was distroyed by the Great Fire, but rebuilt by Wren in i6S6, when
St. Martin's Orgar was annexed to it. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1309.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Abbot and Convent of Westminster, 1309 ;
then Henry VIII., who seized it and gave it to the Bishop of Westminster in 1540; next the Bishop of
London, by Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in whose successors it continues.
Houseling peojile in 1548 were 271.
The present building measures 64 feet in length, 40 feet in breadth, and 34 feet in height. It has
one aisle on the south side, separated from the rest of the church by two high-based columns. The
square tower at the south-west is built of brick, with stone dressings, and contains three stories, with a
cornice and balustrade above. The total height is SS feet.
Chantries were founded here : by John Chardeney for himself and Margaret his wife, to which
William Hocchepound was admitted chaplain, July 23, 137 i, at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary ; for
William Ivery.
There were very few monuments in this church originally. In the west window is a memorial to
Thomas Fuller, the church historian, Bishop Bryan Walton, and Bishop Pearson. Fuller and Pearson
were lecturers here for some time ; the preaching of Pearson on the Creed and Thirty-nine Articles made
him famous. Walton, the compiler of the Polyglot Bible, was created Bishop of Chester, 1660. The
stained-glass window on the southern side was erected in 1872 by the Clothworkers' Company in memory
of Samuel Middlemore, who died in 1628, leaving a charitable bequest to the parish. Henry Purcell and
Jonathan Battishill, the musical composers, who were organists at the church, are commemorated by
brass tablets.
There were several gifts belonging to the parish, but the names of the donors are not recorded
by Stow.
Sir Thomas Gooch (1674-T754), Bishop of Bristol, of Norwich and of Ely, was rector here.
St. Nicholas Lane, also one of the most ancient lanes in London. In 1258
we find that one Ralph was chaplain in the Church of St. Nicholas Aeon. In 1275
the church is endowed with a small rent; in 1279, a testator bequeaths his "Stone
house " in the lane ; and in many subsequent entries the lane is mentioned. Tlie
dedication of the church may possibly indicate the date of its foundation. It was
in the eleventh century that the bones of St. Nicholas were brought from Myra in
Asia Minor, then in the hands of the Mohammedans, to Bari on the Adriatic, where
they still lie. There grew up quite suddenly an extraordinary belief in the power of
this saint. Pilgrimages were instituted, in which thousands flocked to his tomb ;
io8 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
miracles were multiplied at the sacred spot ; the churches without end were dedicated
to his name of Nicholas. In England 372 churches are said to be named after him.
It would be interesting to learn the date of this dedication. May we, however,
connect this saint of Italian pilgrimage with the coming of Italian merchants
to London? St. Nicholas was the protector of sailors, virgins, and children.
Cunningham calls him also the protector of merchants, but of merchants as sailors.
His emblem was the three purses, round and filled with gold, or the three golden
balls. We may therefore at least assume that this was the church of the " Lombards "
and the financiers from Italy. The churchyard still remains, a square patch of
ground, railed in, very similar to the generality ot such quiet little spaces. It has
asphalt paths running in and out of stunted evergreen bushes. Nicholas Passage
runs on the south side, and near is the Acorn public-house, an old house, with its sign
of a huge gilt acorn hanging over the door.
St. Nicholas Aeon was situated on the west side of Nicholas Lane, near Lombard Street ; it
was burnt down in the Great Fire, and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of St. Edmund the
King and ALtrtyr, and its site turned into a burying-ground. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1250.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of Godwin : and Thurand his wife gave it in 1084 to
the Abbot and Convent of ALalmesbury ; Henry VIIL seized it, 1542, and so it continued in the Crown
up to 1666, when it was annexed to St. Edmund the King; since then the patronage is alternately in the
Crown and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Houseling people in 1548 were 154.
Johanna Macany, who left large legacies to the parish about 1452, was buried in this church, also
John Hall, Master of the Company of Drapers ; he died in 1618.
No legacies or gifts are recorded by Stow except that of Johanna ALicany, of which he gives full details.
Maurice Griffith, Bishop of Rochester in 1554, was rector here.
Of Birchin Lane Stow says it should be Birchover Lane. It is also spelt
Berchernere and Borcherveres Lane. It is frequently mentioned in the Calendar of
Wills. In 1260 there is "land" in the lane; in 12S5 there is a mansion house;
there are a bakehouse and shops in 1319 ; in 1326. a tenement; twenty years later,
other tenements ; in 1358, a place called " la Belle " ; in 1363, lands and a tenement ;
and in 1372, tenements in " Berchers" Lane. In 1386 and the following century we
have it spelled Birchin Lane. In 1348, Riley quotes the name as Bercherners Lane.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the lane was inhabited by "fripperers,"
i.e. old - clothes men. Here was Tom's Coffee-house, frequented by Garrick.
Chatterton wrote a letter to his sister from this house. In a court leading out of
Birchin Lane is the George and Vulture, a well-known tavern, which still preserves
the custom of serving chops and steaks on pewter.
Abchurch Lane gives its name to the church of St. Mary Abchurch, which,
according to Stow, is also Upchurch (see below). The parish of Abchurch or
Abbechurch is mentioned as early as 1272 and 1282, and tenements in Abbechurch
Lane are devised by a testator of the year 1297.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
109
ST. MARY ABCHURCH
The additional name signifies "Up-church," and is accounted for by the position of the edifice on
rising ground. The church was burnt down by the Great Fire and rebuilt in 1686 from the designs of
Sir Christopher Wren, when the parish of St. Lawrence Pountney was annexed. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1323.
. 11 u
AI.TAR OF ST. MAKY AUCllUKCll
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Prior and Convent of St. Mary Overy,
Southwark, who exchanged it to the Master and Wardens of Corpus Christi College near St. Lawrence
Pountney, 1448; Henry VIIL, who seized it in 1540, and so continued in the Crown till Elizabeth, in
1568, granted it to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, with whom it continued. Elizabeth's grant was
procured by Archbishop Parker, who gave her the rectory of Penshurst in Kent, in order that he might
make over the patronage of a London living to his old college.
Houscling people in 1548 were 368.
The church is almost square, measuring 63 feet in length and 60 feet in breadth, and is surmounted
no SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
by a cupola 51 feet in height supported by pendentives attached to the walls: the latter is decorated with
painting by Sir James Thornhill. The altar-piece is adorned with carving, which is considered to be
some of Gibbon's finest work. The steeple consists of a tower of four stories, finished by a cornice, and
surmounted by a cupola, lantern, and lead-covered spire, with ball and cross ; the total height is about
140 feet. The building is of red brick with Portland stone dressings.
Chantries were founded here : By and for Simon de Wynchecombe, citizen and armourer, in the
chapel of Holy Trinity, to which Robert de Bruysor Chesterson was admitted, November 18, 1401 — a
licence was granted by the King to found this, July 26, 1359 ; by John Lyttelton ; by Simon Wryght.
The church formerly contained monuments to Sir James Hawes and Sir John Branch, mayors in
1574 and 1580; and to Master Roger Mountague, "illustrious Precedent of Bounty and pious Industry."
Against the eastern wall, there is a large monument to Sir Patience Ward, mayor in 1680, and senior
member for the City of London in the Convention Parliament of 1688-89.
The parish had no legacies or charitable gifts of any considerable amount. Mrs. Hyde gave ^3 : i8s.
for bread. The Merchant Taylors Company (the gift of several benefactors) gave ^16 : 19 : 6 for coal.
Sherborne Lane. — Stow asserts that originally Langbourn Water, " breaking
out of the ground in Fenchurch Street, ran down the same street, Lombard Street,
to the west end of St. Mary Woolnoth's church, where, turning south and breaking
into small shares, rills, or streams, it left the name of Share-borne Lane," or as
he had also read it, South-borne Lane, "because it ran south to the river Thames."
W'heatley thinks that Scrieburne, from scir, a share {sciran, to divide), is the more
likely etymology. This " long bourne of sweet water," Stow further relates, " is long
since stopped up at the head, and the rest of the course filled up and paved over,
so that no sign thereof remaineth more than the names." The existence of the
stream indeed is more than problematical. The lane is narrow, and now occupied
wholly by business premises more or less modern. The back of the City Carlton
Club shows on the west side, and near the north end is the narrow way into
St. Swithin's Lane at the south end of the street (possibly Plough Alley) ; and the
back way into the old General Post Office "by the sign of the Cock" (east side,
north end), both shown in Strype's 1754 map, have vanished. The former is built
up ; the latter is occupied by King William Street, which was cut clean through
St. Mary Woolnoth's churchyard and the old General Post Office (formerly the
residence of Sir Robert Vyner, Lord Mayor, 1675). Before the Fire the General
Postmaster lived " at his house in Sherburne Lane neere Abchurch," and hither
" The Carriers Cosniographie, by John Taylor, the Water Poet," written in 1637,
bids repair all who desired to send letters abroad or to various parts of the kingdom.
The name occurs as early as a.d. 1300, and is very frequently referred to in the
Calendar of Wills, but under quite another form, viz. as " Shiteburn Lane." Stow's
derivation of " Sharebone " or " Southbone " Lane will not, therefore, hold.
St. Swithin's Lane. — Oxford Court in this lane was so called from John de
Vera, i6th Earl of Oxford, who died here in 1562.
As early as 1277 we find houses in St. Swithin's Lane. In 13 10 we find
turners of St. Swithin's Lane.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY m
The houses are of modern brick and stone, some of them are finished with pohshed
granite piers. The great richly wrought iron gates before the courtyard of Salters'
Hall immediately attract attention. The hall itself, built in 1823, is painted and
stuccoed, and has a fine Ionic portico. Salters' Hall was used as a Presbyterian
chapel in the reign of William HI.
THE SALTERS COMPANY
The first evidence of the existence of the Company is a Patent Roll of 17 Richard II., 1394 ; but from
documents in their possession, there is every reason to believe that the Company had a much earlier existence.
In 1454 Thomas Beamond, citizen and Salter (at one time sheriff in London), left to the wardens
of the brotherhood and y;uild of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Church of All Saints, Bread
Street, London, and their successors for ever, land in Bread Street, whereon had recently been erected the
" Salters' Hall," together with other property, out of the rents and profits of which he directed that the hall
should be repaired or rebuilt as occasion might require. This will also gave directions for certain religious
observances, and for the support of poor Salters in almshouses, etc.
At some time subsequently to 1454 an attempt was made to prove that the religious guild and the
Company of Salters were distinct corporations, and that Mr. Beamond intended to bequeath the property
mentioned in his wmII to the spiritual body exclusively, but the legal decision was that the religious guild
and the Salters Company were identical.
In the reign of Edward IV., 1465, ordinances were made for the good government of the " Company
of Salters " ; and in a suit presented by Lord Arundel against the Company (about the same time) it was
proved that the Company of Salters and the guild or fraternity mentioned in the Patent Roll of Richard
II. were identical corporations.
1507. — Ordinances were confirmed by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Treasurer, and the two Lord
Chief Justices, to the wardens and fellowship of the mystery and craft of Salters in the City of London,
and keepers of the fraternity of Corpus Christi in the Church of Allhallows, Bread Street.
1530. — Arms were granted to the Company by Thomas Benolt, Clarencieux. This deed of grant is
in the Company's possession.
1539. — The hall in Bread Street was burnt down, and rebuilt by the Company.
1551. — In consideration of a large payment made by them King Edward VI. reconveyed to the
Company of Salters the whole of the annual payments issuing out of their property in respect of superstitious
uses, which had been held forfeited to the Crown at the time of the abolition of chantries in the reign
of Henry Vm. (1545).
1559. — First charter of incorporation granted by Queen Elizabeth to the "Keepers or Wardens and
Commonalty of the art or mystery of Salters, London." About the same time some new ordinances were
drawn up and doubtless sanctioned by the proper authorities, which make provision for the government
of the guild, and prescribe oaths for its various members and officers ; and also conferred the right of search
in the premises of persons using the art or mystery of Salters in the City of London and suburbs thereof,
for unwholesome merchandise and false weights and measures.
1607-1609. — Acts of Parliament passed in the reign of James I., confirming to the Company all
their property.
In these years a fresh charter and statutes were granted by the King.
16 13 to 1619. — The Company's Irish estate was acquired by payment to the Crown of the sum
of ;^5ooo (being the twelfth part of ;^6o,ooo raised by the twelve chief companies) with the object of
planting an English and Scotch Protestant colony there.
1641. — Oxford House (with gardens), which formerly stood on the present site of the Company's
hall and offices, was purchased with corporate funds of the Company, and used as their hall : this
was the third, that left by Mr. Beamond (1454) having been destroyed by fire and rebuilt about 1539.
112 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
1666. — The whole of the Company's estate in London and the greater part of their archives were
destroyed by the " great fire," whereby heavy losses were entailed on them.
1684, 1685. — King James II. granted the Company another charter, but the whole of these
proceedings were rendered void by an Act passed in the following reign, William and Mary, under
which the Salters Company, amongst others, were restored to their ancient rights, privileges, and franchises.
1821, 1827. — The hall of the Company, erected after the Fire in 1666, was taken down, and the
existing building was erected, being the fifth hall of the Company.
The application of salt to the preservation of food, and particularly of fish for consumption in
winter, must have given rise to a distinct trade for that purpose in the earliest times ; and, as civilization
advanced, the term " Salter " no doubt became more extended in its commercial interpretation, until it
included, as in the present day, all persons trading wholly or partially in salt, such as oilmen, drysalters,
and druggists.
Salt manufacturers and merchants, oilmen, druggists, and grocers (who made salt one of their trading
commodities) have been and are largely represented on the guild.
The number of liverymen is given as 183; the Corporate Income is ^^20,000; the Trust Income
is ;^2000.
The only advantage incident to the position of a freeman is a claim for relief, if in pecuniary distress.
Liverymen are entitled to vote at the election for the office of renter warden, of assistant, of
master and of wardens ; and, if free of the City of London, for candidates for the office of Lord Mayor,
and for some officers of the corporation ; also, if free of the City, and resident within a radius of twenty-five
miles, for members of Parliament for the said City. All liverymen not in receipt of pecuniary assistance
are invited to entertainments of the Company, and have a claim for relief should they fall into misfortune.
The present Salters' Hall and garden, with some adjoining land, occupies the
site of the "fair and large built house" which Sir Robert Aguylum devised in
1285-86 to the priors of Tortington in Sussex for their town inn or mansion. The
Dissolution brought it to the Crown, and Henry VHI., in 1540, gave it to John de
Vere, Earl of Oxford. Then it became known as Oxford Place or House. Mary
probably restored it; at all events Elizabeth regranted it in 1573 to the Earldom
of Oxford, then held by Edward, grandson of John de V^ere above named. The
new tenant apparently resided here in good style. Stow quaintly tells of his pomp.
" He hath been noted within these forty years to have ridden into this City, and so
to his house by London Stone, with 80 gentlemen in a livery of Reading tawny,
and chains of gold about their necks, before him, and one hundred tall yeomen in
the like livery to follow him, without chains but all having his cognisance of the blue
boat embroidered on their left shoulder." He appears not to have remained here
long, for Sir Ambrose Nicholas, Salter, kept his mayoralty here in 1575, and Sir
John Hart dwelt here as Lord Mayor in 1589. Hart bought the place from the
Earl, who was then dissipating his great estates from motives of pique and indignation
against his father-in-law, Cecil, Lord Burleigh.
The house was sold to the feofees of the Salters Company in 1641. The
Great Fire of 1666 probably destroyed -only a part of the great house (Wilkinson in
Londina Illustrata goes too far in maintaining that the building wholly escaped,
but is probably nearer right than those who say it was quite destroyed), statements
to the contrary notwithstanding, for, at the request of the Bishop of London, the
7"A<'J. H. Sktphtrd.
114 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
parishioners of St. Swithin's assembled in the long parlour for worship whilst their
church was building, and several of the companies held their courts here until their
halls had risen from the ashes. The destroyed portion, perhaps indeed the whole,
and the wall of the great garden, and some adjoining houses, were rebuilt about this
time by the Company and their tenants. The history of the Salters' Hall has
already been told.
In 1687 a congregation of "protestant dissenters" took from the Company,
on moderate terms, a lease of certain ground on which part of Oxford
House had stood before the Fire. Here they built their meeting-house,
where Mr. Mayo preached until his death in 1695, drawing, by his eloquence,
congregations so large that it is said even the windows were crowded when he
preached. William Long, writer for Matthew Henry's Commentary, was minister
in 1702. In 1 716 he and Mr. John Newman, popular with the congregation,
became co-pastors. In 17 19 the general body of dissenting ministers met here
to discuss means for stopping the spread of Arianism. " You that are against
subscribing to a declaration as a test of orthodoxy, come upstairs," cried the Arians
and the private-judgment men of a stormy synod. " And you that are for declaring
your faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, stay below," replied Mr. Bradbury of
New Court. A count showed fifty-seven to have gone up, and fifty-three to have
remained down, giving the "scandalous majority" of four. Arianism meanwhile
had become the coffee-house topic of the town. In March 1726 Long
died, and Newman became sole pastor till his death in 1741. In the reign of
William III., Robert Bragge started a "Lord's Day evening lecture," popular
for many years, but afterwards removed by the originator to his meeting-house in
Lime Street. The celebrated Thomas Bradbury shortly afterwards revived it at
Salters' Hall Chapel, and for more than twenty years delivered it to crowded
audiences. Samuel Baker continued it on Bradbury's resignation in 1725.
Presbyterians of some eminence followed him, as Dr. William Prior, Dr. Abraham
Rees, Dr. Philip Furneaux, and Hugh Farmer (1761), the writer of an exposition on
demonology and miracles, which aroused sharp controversy. When the Salters
determined to rebuild their hall, they gave the congregation notice to quit by Lady
Day 182 1. Whereupon the congregation acquired premises in Oxford Court, upon
the site of which they erected a handsome new meeting-house completed in 1822.
But the glory of the place as a dissenting centre was departing, and the Presbyterians
abandoned it. Then came some erratic fanatics who called themselves "The
Christian Evidence Society," and their meeting-house was "Areopagus." Their
leader went bankrupt and the experiment collapsed. In 1827 the Baptists reopened
the place, and remained there for some years, but, shortly before 1870, removed to
Islington, where to this day the " Salters' Hall " Chapel in the Baxter Road
preserves the memory of the struggles, quarrels, and triumphs of the old City
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 115
meeting-house. In Tom Brown's Laconics (1709) is this allusion: "A man that
keeps steady to one party, though he happens to be in the wrong, is still an honest
man. He that goes to a Cathedral in the morning, and Salters' Hall in the
afternoon, is a rascal by his own confession."
In Hudibras Redivivus (1706) this is found :
I thumb'd o'er many factious Reams,
Of canting Lies, and Poets' Dreams,
All stuffed as full of Low-Church Manners,
As e'er was Salters' Hall with Sinners.
On the south side of St. Swithin's Lane is Founders' Hall. The hall is on the
first floor, and there are shops below. The building is of stone with pilasters
running up the front, and the coat-of-arms is over the door, which has a very
projecting cornice. The hall was rebuilt 1877. On the north side of .Salters' Hall
is New Court showing through behind a covered entry. The opposite side of
St. Swithin's Lane seems to contain the offices of an absolutely unlimited number
of companies. The court, opening out of it, consists of uninteresting earth brick
houses shut in by an iron gate. The City Carlton Club is in Nos. 28 and 29.
It is a Conservative Club, with fifteen-guinea entrance fee, and eight-guinea sub-
scription. The building is of stone with a porch over the door. There are bay
windows with polished granite columns. Richard Roberts was the architect.
THE FOUNDERS COMPANY
The Founders Company existed as a "Mistery" prior to the year 1365, as appears from a petition
to the City of London from the "(Jood Men of the Mistery of the P'ounders of the City of London."
This petition is to be found in the Letter Books at Guildhall, and the entry is also evidence that
ordinances were granted on the 29th July, 39 Edward IIL The Company possesses no copy of these
ordinances.
In the year 1389 (Riley, Afeniorials, p. 512), certain "good folks of the trade of Founders" made
plaint to the mayor and aldermen as to the bad work put into candlesticks, stirrups, buckles, and other
things, and they prayed that certain ordinances which they submitted should be accepted by the mayor
and made law. Among these ordinances was one to the effect that two or three masters should be chosen
and sworn to guard and oversee the trade.
In Williams' History of this Company (1867) he gives the above petition word for word under the
date of 1365. It is certain from this document, as with many other Companies, that as yet the Fraternity
of Founders had no power or authority to enforce good work on pains and penalties.
They were incorporated January 1,1614, for a master, 2 wardens, 15 assistants, and 100 liverymen.
At present the number of the livery is 79; their Corporate Income is ;^i855; their Trust Income is
;^i02; and their Hall is in St. Swithin's Lane. The original home of the Founders was that part of
London north of Lothbury.
The name of Founders' Court marks the site ; this was formerly the lane which led through the
Company's buildings to a garden beyond ; the buildings stretched from St. Margaret Street to Coleman
Street, Moorgate Street not then existing. This hall was burnt down in the Great Fire and rebuilt.
The Company let off portions of their hall, and in 1853 let the whole on a long lease and bought a house in
St. Swithin's Lane, on the site of which they built their present hall in 1877.
ii6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
ST. SWITHINS CHURCH
St. Swithin, to whom this church is dedicated, was Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor to
King Egbert. Formerly the usual designation of the church was St. Swithin's in Candlewick Street,
but Newcourt (1708) states that St. Swithin, London Stone, was becoming the more common title. The
stone at that time stood on the south side of the road opposite to the church. No record exists of the
original foundation of the church. Probably it was built soon after the death of St. Swithin in 862, or at
any rate before a.d. iooo. It is mentioned in the taxation book of Pope Nicholas IV. in 1291. The first
rector given by Newcourt is Robert de Galdeford, who resigned in 1331. In 1420 licence was obtained
to rebuild and enlarge the church and steeple, and Sir John Hend, Lord Mayor, 1391 and 1404, was, says
Stow, "an especial benefactor thereunto, as appeareth by his arms in the glass windows, even in the tops
of them." The hall of the Drapers Company was at that time Sir John Hand's house in St. Swithin's
Lane. The church thus rebuilt consisted of a chancel and a nave separated from the north and south aisles
by pillars. There was a chapel of St. Katherine and St. Margaret. From the date of rebuilding it is
evident that the style of the architecture was Early Decorated. The maps of Aggas (1560) and Newcourt
(1658) agree in showing a small battlemented church, with a square battlemented tower (without spire) at
the west end and level with the street. In 1607- 1608 the church was " fully beautified and finished at the
cost and charge of the parishioners." It was again repaired shortly before the Great Fire, when ;£^iooo
was spent upon it. The church was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt by Wren in 167S, when the
neighbouring parish of St. Mary Bothaw was annexed. In 1869 and 1879 it was entirely ''rearranged."
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: Sir Robert Aguylum, Knt., who gave it by will
dated February 28, 1285, to Richard, Earl of Arundel, who has licence from the King to assign it to the
Prior and Convent of Tortington, June 21, 1367; the Prior and Convent of Tortington, Susse.\, in
whose successors it continued up to 1538, when Henry VIII. seized it and granted it June 8, 1536, to
John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who sold it, 1561, to John Hart, citizen and alderman of London, who
gave it to George Bolles (his son-in-law), citizen of London, from whose descendants it was purchased
about 1683; the Salters Company, in whose successors it continued up to 1666, when the parish of
St. Mary Bothaw was annexed, and the patronage shared alternately with the Dean and Chapter of
Canterbury; Elizabeth Beachcroft presented to it in 1765, the Salters Company having parted with their
share of the patronage.
Houseling people in 1548 were 320.
The church measures 61 feet in length, 42 feet in breadth, and 41 feet in height. It is surmounted
by an octagonal cupola, divided by bands, and powdered with stars on a blue ground. The tower, which
rises at the north-west, is square but contracted at the top into an octagonal shape. Above this a simple
spire rises with a ball and vane. The total height is 150 feet.
Chantries were founded here : By Roger de Depham at the Altar of SS. Katherine and Margaret, to
which William de Kyrkeby was presented, November 5, 1361 — in 1548 the mayor and commonalty of
London paid to carry out the object of Roger de Depham's will, ^^5 : 6 : 8 ; by William Newe, who
endowed it with lands, etc., which fetched ^17 : 8 : 4, when John Hudson was priest; by James de Sancto
Edmund, who left five marks per annum for an endowment in 131 2; by Geoffrey Chittick, who gave
lands to endow it which fetched ;^i3:6:8 in 154S, w^hen Sir Roger Butte was priest ; by John Betson,
who endowed it with all his lands in this parish, which yielded ^13 : 6 : 8 in 1548, when Richard Hudson
was priest.
Sir John Hart and Sir George Bolles, patrons of the church, were both buried here, but their
monuments perished in the Great Fire. There is a large tablet affixed to a column on the north side of
the church commemorating Michael Godfrey, first deputy governor of the Bank of England ; he was slain
in 1695 by a cannon ball at Namur, whither he was sent on business to King William's camp.
In 1663 Dryden was married here to Lady Elizabeth Howard.
Only two charities are recorded by Stow: i2d. per week in bread, 50s. per annum in coals for the
poor, the gift of Henry Hobener ; ^10 : los. for a weekly lecture, the gift of Thomas Wetnal.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 117
The parish churchyard is situated in Salters' Hall Court, by which it is separated
from the church. It is elevated above the court and contains two trees, two or
three bushes and shrubs, and a few tombstones. Across it is a right-of-way to the
premises of the National Telephone Company, to which it has the appearance of
being a garden.
George Street was anciently Bearbinder Lane. Riley notes " Berbynderslane "
in the City records so early as 1358. It was renamed George Street within the
nineteenth century. If Charlotte Row, west of the Mansion House, was so called in
honour of Queen Charlotte, surely this was rechristened in honour of George III.,
whom she married in 1761. It is quite small compared with its former e.xtent, for
it once ran from Walbrook past the south side of St. Mary VVoolchurch into
St. Swithin's Lane, and also had a northern limb, passing the west end of Dove
Court, into Lombard Street. Now the Mansion House stands upon all the old
course west of Walbrook churchyard, and the northern limb is built over. This was
the fatal spot where the plague of 1665 first made its appearance within the City.
Defoe, in his history of the dire disease, relates how a Frenchman living in Long
Acre, near the plague-stricken houses, moved hither "for fear of the distemper."
Alas ! he was already stricken, and in the beginning of May he died, the first victim
within the City walls. Strype calls Bearbinder Lane "a place of no great account
as to trade: well inhabited by merchants and others." In his time about thirty
yards at the east end were reckoned in Langbourn ward, and apparently also most of
the northern arm. It now belongs wholly to Walbrook ward, and is merely a
narrow passage containing no houses older than the nineteenth century.
We now take Walbrook, leaving Cannon Street to be dealt with subsequently.
The memory of the stream of the Walbrook coming down from the heights to
the north is preserved in the name of this short street.
In 1279 and in 1290 we find that there were houses on the banks of the stream.
In the year 1307, there was one William le Marischale living beside the stream. It
must have been almost impossible, even then, to live near the stream, because it
was a common open sewer with latrines built over it. These were farmed by certain
persons. Part of the stream, however, was covered over by the year 1 300 ; it was
not till the close of the sixteenth century that it was completely covered over.
Empson and Dudley, the instruments of Henry VI I. 's e.xtortions, lived in Walbrook ;
and later Sir Christopher Wren is said to have lived here at the house afterwards
No. 5.
The modern street is chiefly composed of ordinary stone-faced business houses.
But on the west side are three charming seventeenth-century buildings of mellow
red brick, Nos. 10, 11, and 12. On the centre one is a stone tablet supported by
brackets, and covered by a projecting cornice ; this bears date 1668. A little farther
up on the opposite side an eighteenth-century brick house stands over the entry to
ii8 -SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Bond Court. The doorway immediately opposite the entry is a nice piece of
woodwork. There are also one or two doorways of different designs in the northern
part of the court. These belong to old houses, though those buildings on the west
facing them are quite modern.
Returning to the street, the ornamental front of the City Liberal Club, founded
1874, draws attention to itself The front is of light stone with the windows and
doorway framed in granite. Farther north on the same side is Ye Olde Deacons
Tavern, next door to Bell Court, a narrow passage of no particular interest. Repre-
sentations of almost every trade occupy the street ; it contains two great houses let in
flats, one of which, Worcester House, seems to be especially given up to the offices
of company promoters.
ST. STEPHEN, WALBROOK
St. Stephen, Walbrook, stands at the back of the Mansion House. It was formerly often called
St. Stephen-upon-Walbrook, from the fact that its first site was actually upon the bank of the stream so
named. There is only one other church in the City dedicated to St. Stephen, viz. St. Stephen, Coleman
Street. The date of its foundation is not known, but it dates back at least as far as the reign of
Henry I. ; Eudo Dapifer's gift of it to his Abbey of St. John, Colchester, in 1096, being the earliest
reference to it. It was rebuilt early in Henry VI. 's reign, chiefly through the agency of Robert
Chicheley, Lord Mayor in 141 1 and 1421. It was totally consumed by the Fire, and rebuilt by
Wren in 1672, when the neighbouring parish of St. Benet Sherehog was annexed. The earliest date
of an incumbent is 1315.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: Eudo, Steward to Henry I., who gave it to the
Abbot and Convent of St. John, Colchester, who held it up to 1422 ; John, Duke of Bedford, who sold it
in 1432 to Sir Robert Whytingham, Knt., who gave it to Richard Lee in 1460, who gave it in 1502 to
the Grocers Company, in whose successors it continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 250.
This church is, after St. Paul's Cathedra], considered Wren's masterpiece. It is oblong in shape,
traversed by four rows of Corinthian columns, which divide it into five aisles, of which the central is the
broadest ; it is crowned by a circular dome supported on eight arches. The effect thus produced of the
circle springing from an octagonal base is especially graceful. The building measures 82^ feet in length,
59I feet in width, and the height to the dome is 63 feet, to the ceiling of the side aisles 36 feet. The
tower contains four stories ; upon it the steeple is placed, tapering to a spirelet with finial and vane ; the
total height is about 130 feet. Against the wall of the north transept is a picture of St. Stephen being
carried from the scene of his martyrdom; this is by Benjamin West, P.R.A., and is generally considered
his best work; it was presented by the rector. Dr. Wilson, and put up in 1776, though it then stood
over the reredos.
Chantries were founded here: By Lettice Lee, whose endowment fetched ;^i4:ios. in 154S; by
William Adams, who left ^126 : 13 : 4 as an endowment for a priest to sing for his soul "as long as the
money would endure" — this in 1548 was in the hands of one named Myller of Lynn, Norfolk.
The church originally contained a monument in memory of Sir Thomas Pope, the founder of Trinity
College, O.xford. The oldest monument is one in memory of John Lilbourne, citizen and grocer of
London, who died in 1678. On the north wall two physicians are commemorated — Nathaniell Hodges,
who wrote a treatise on the Plague, and died in 1688; and Percival Gilbourne, who died 1694. In 1726
Sir John Vanbrugh the architect was interred here ; he was also a playwright.
According to Stow, the parish possessed ;^ioo per annum, employed in repairing the church, etc.,
o
o
X
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 119
the exact uses of which were unknown. He records a legacy of £20 per annum for charitable uses left
by one named Dickenson.
Henry Chicheley, LL.D. (d. 1443), Archbishop of Canterbury, was a rector here; also Thomas
Wilson (1703-84), author of the History of St. Margaret's; John Kite (d. 1537), Archbishop of Armagh;
and Thomas Howell (1588-1646), Bishop of Bristol.
The Church of St. Stephen stood on the west side of the original course of
Walbrook stream. Over the new course of the stream a " coverinaf " or small
bridge was made for access to the church, and in 1300 the parishioners were found,
by inquisition before the mayor, to be under the obligation of repairing it. Little is
known of this building ; that it possessed a belfry is shown from an entry in the
coroner's roll of 1278, which records the death of one William le Clarke, who,
having gone pigeon-nesting in the belfry, accidentally fell as he was climbing the
beams, and so ruptured and crushed his body on one of them that he died. The
fatal beam was thereupon "appraised at four pence, and two neighbours nearest to
the church were attached, each by two sureties, to see the fine or deodand paid "
(Riley's Memorials of London, p. 13).
The " parsonage house," before the Great Fire, stood. Stow tells us, on the
site of the first church, next to the course of the Walbrook. It was rebuilt by one
Jerome Raustorne (or Rawstorne) upon a lease of forty years, commencing 1674,
and by this, Newcourt says, was "reserved to the parson ^17 a year ground-rent."
The parish at this time enjoyed an income of ^100 a year, and with part of this,
supplemented by sums of money received from leases, and from compensations for
encroachments and new "lights" made upon the churchyard at the rebuilding of the
City after the Fire, the Vestry determined to build a new rectory house. The leave
of the Grocers Company, as patrons, and a faculty from the Bishop of London,
dated 1692-93, having been obtained, the new house was built (between 1693 and
1708) adjoining the west end of the church by the tower on a piece of ground,
about 20 feet square, previously occupied by a portion of the ante-Fire edifice. It
was considered that the rector had a title to some portion of the ground, and to half
the compensation money paid for new lights, and accordingly it was provided that in
case the rector or any of his successors should find it inconvenient or inadvisable to
live in the house, then the Vestry should let the same from year to year, the parish
to have two-thirds of the rental, and the remaining third to go to the rector. This
house is still standing, but is let out for offices, the rector living at Brockley.
It is a quaint and small house, which almost touches the church wall at the back.
Two of its rooms stand over the church porch. The original staircase and panelled
walls remain. It is the only old house standing on the east side of Walbrook. The
churchyard is situated at the east end of the church. It has a round tlower-bed in the
centre, two trees, and several bushes, and is kept in excellent order. It is entered
from Church Row by an iron gate, and from the church by the door in the east wall.
I20
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The Mansion House occupies the sites of Stocks Market and St. Mary
Woolchurch Haw.
ST. MARY WOOLCHURCH HAW
This church was situated on the eastern side of the market. It probably derived its name
"Woolchurch" from the fact that a beam was erected in the churchyard for the weisrhinsr of wool. It was
THE MAN.S10N HOUSE AND CHEAl'SIDE
probably built about the time of William I. by one Hubert de Ria, founder of the Abbey of St. John in
Colchester. His son Eudo Dapifer, Steward to the Conqueror, endowed his newly-built Abbey and
Convent of St. John, Colchester, with it. The charter of foundation (1096) calls it St. Mary de
Westcheping, or Newchurch, and states that -Ailward (iross the priest held the living by gift of Hubert de
Ria. The exact words are these, and constitute the earliest mention of the church :
Et ecdesiam S. Marine de Westcheping, London, quae vacatur Niewecherciie, concedente Aikvardo
Grosso, presbytero qui in eadem ecclesia et donatione atitecessoris mei Huberti de Ria personatum consecutus
fiterat (Newcourt I. p. 459).
In the "Taxatio Ecclesiastica " of Pope Nicholas IV. (1291) occurs reference to ecclesia Sancte
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 121
Marie de Wokhurdie hawe, indicating that the names of St. Mary de Westcheping and Niewecherche
had alike disappeared to give place to a title in some way derived from the wool staple and market. This
is Stow's etymology of the name. Mr. J. H. Round doubts the theory; he suggests that this St. Mary's
was a daughter-church to St. Mary Woolnoth {Athenceum, August 17, 1889, p. 223) (Woollen-hithe-
hatch, or haw). This would give as the full and new name of our " Niewecherche " St. Mary-in-Woollenhaw,
Church-Haw, and by contraction St. Mary Woolchurch Haw. It is actually styled St. Mary Wolmaricherch
in 1280-81, which certainly appears to support Mr. Round's theory.
The first rector given by Newcourt is John Dyne, who resigned in 1382. By licence granted 1442 (20
Henry VI.), the church was rebuilt; the new building stood farther south than the old, in accordance with a
condition imposed by the licence, which ordained it to be 15 feet from the Stocks Market "for sparing of
light to the same." The foundation stone of this new building was discovered when digging the foundations
of the Mansion House in 1739.
The stone was drawn by R. West, engraved by Toms, and relegated to an obscurity from which it
has never since emerged : its whereabouts is unknown. The new church, whose foundation was laid on
May 4, 1442, is described by Stow as "reasonably fair and large."
The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to the
neighbouring one of St. Mary Woolnoth. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1349.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: Hubert de Ria, father of Eudo, Steward of the
Conqueror's household ; Abbot and Convent of St. John, Colchester, being the gift of Eudo ; Henry VIII.
seized it, and thus it continued in the Crown until the church was burnt down and the parish annexed to
St. Mary Woolnoth, of which the Crown shares the alternate patronage.
Houseling people in 1548 were 360.
Chantries were founded here by : Anne Cawood, at the Altar of St. Nicholas, whose endowment
fetched ^8 in 154S, when Henry Cockes was priest, and to which John Chamberlayne was admitted June 2,
1525; Roger Barlow, whose endowment fetched ^^3 : 6 ; 8 in 1548, which was spent on maintaining the
Cawood chantry: by Godwine le Hodere in 1313 for himself and his wife, for which the King granted his
licence July 8, 132 1.
The church formerly contained monuments to several benefactors, amongst whom were John
Winger, mayor in 1504, donor of .;^20 for church purposes; Richard Shaw, sheriff in 1505, and donor
of ^20.
Stow records that the list of legacies and gifts was too long for the churchwardens to give account of
in their parochial visitation of 1693, but that it could be seen in the parish registers.
William Fuller (1608-75), Bishop of Lincoln, was rector here.
Of the Wool Haw it is interesting to know : " They set up a beam for the
tronage or weighing of wool in the churchyard of St. Mary, Westcheping, which was
henceforth known as the Wool Haw or yard, and became a wool market. The date
is not known, but it was before 1275 (' S. Mary de Wolcherche ' occurs in a will of
1265 (see Calendar of Wills, vol. i. p. 26)). ' Les Customes de Wolchirchaw ' as
ordained in the reign of Edward I., were as follows [Lidcr Aldus, p. 216): — 'For
one pound of wool (sold) to a foreigner (non-freeman) one halfpenny ; and for one
sack, only one halfpenny. For two woolfels and more, one halfpenny, and for one
hundred only one halfpenny. For one pound of woolen yarn, one halfpenny ; for
one hundred only one halfpenny. If any foreigner brings wool, woolfels, or yarn
through the city for sale, to the value of ten pence and more, he shall pay as custom
one farthing.'
" The weighing of wool was continued here until 1383(6 Richard II.) when John
122 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Churchman, having built the Custom House ujjon Wool Quay (Tower Ward) the
tronage was discontinued in this spot " (Strype).
When the watercourse of the Walbrook was open, there was a bridge over
it at the junction of Walbrook, Broad Street, and Cheap wards. At the east side
of the Mansion House, running from Mansion House Street to Church Row, is
Mansion House Place. It contains only the sides of buildings.
Previously to the erection of the Mansion House, Mansion House Place formed
merely the east side of Stocks Market, and was planted with rows of trees. On
the east, about the middle, was a court, and in it, says Strype (1720), "a good large
house, the habitation of Godfrey Woodward, one of the attorneys of the Sherift's
court." Strype's map shows the position of the court, which opened into a fair-sized
quadrangle.
Stocks Market. — In Plantagenet London the Westcheping (Westcheping
comprised at least the present Cheapside, Poultry, and Mansion House Street) had
an open space, " very large and broad," where the Mansion House now stands. South
of the space was St. Mary Woolchurch Haw, already described ; in the space itself a
pair of stocks for punishment of offenders. By patent of Edward I., in 1282, Henry
Waley, several times mayor, built sundry houses in the City, whose profits were
destined for the maintenance of London Bridge. The void space by the Woolchurch
he built and otherwise turned into a market, known as " Les Stokkes," otherwise
Stocks Market, sometimes Woolchurch Market. He appointed it a market-place
for fish and flesh. The keepers of the bridge let out the stalls to fishmongers and
butchers for term of their lives, until 13 12-13, when John de Gisors, mayor, and the
whole commonalty decreed that life-leases should not be granted in future without
the consent of the mayor and commonalty (for full text of the decree see Strype, i 754
ed.). In 1322, Edward II. sent Letters Patent from the Tower commanding that no
one should sell fish or flesh save in the markets of Bridgestreet, Eastcheap, Old Fish
Street, St. Nicholas Shambles, and Stocks INIarket — a first offence to be punished by
forfeiture of such fish or flesh as was sold, second offence by loss of freedom ; and it
was accordingly thus decreed by the mayor, Hamo de Chigwell. The rents of the
market at that time amounted to ^^46 : 13 :4 per annum. Foreigners, z.e. non-free-
men, were allowed to sell in this "house called the Stocks," but under conditions.
None might cut meat after 2 p.m. rung at St. Paul's ; meat cut and remaining
unpurchased at that time was all to be sold by vespers, "without keeping any back
or carrying any away." In 1320 three alleged "foreigners" were accused of selling
their pork and beef by candlelight, after curfew had rung at St. Martin's-le-Grand.
One did not appear to defend himself, one acknowledged his offence ; the meat of
both was forfeited. The third contended that he possessed the City freedom, and his
meat was returned to him (Riley, Jllemoria/s of London).
The "butchers of the Stokkes" were jealous of their honour. In 1331 they
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
12-
petitioned Sir John Pountney, mayor, and the aldermen, that ordinance should be
made against certain abuses. Their prayer was granted ; henceforth no butcher
having once or twice failed in payment should trade in the market until he had paid
his debts. The trade had evidently got into bad repute owing to insolvent butchers.
Likewise no "foreigner" was to sell by retail in the market; no butcher to "take
another's man " except such man had paid his former master that he owed him,
otherwise the new master was to be held responsible for his servant. Also that
butchers of the market who had boug^ht their freedom should be oblig-ed to live in
the City. Hitherto some of them had dwelt in Stratford, and had thus avoided
STOCKS MARKET
bearing " their part in the franchise of the City." Infringement of the ordinance was
punishable by a fine of 40.S. payable to the Chamber of London (Riley, Ibid.).
By degrees the tlesh and fish trade centred hereabouts overfiowed into the King's
highway from Cheap conduit t(j the market, and became an obstruction. The
common serjeant complained to the mayor and aldermen in 1345. As a result,
ordinary butchers, poulterers, and fishmongers were to confine their operations to
their houses and shops : market men to sell within the market. On fish days the
fishmongers were to occupy the market enclosure, and the butchers the pent-house
adjoining ; on flesh days the enclosure was for the butchers, and the pent-house for
the fishmongers. Obstruction of the highway henceforth entailed forfeiture of goods
124 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
exposed for sale. That same year the common serjeant found three butchers selling
from stalls in the highway of Poultry, and confiscated their meat (Riley, Ibid.).
The butchers of the " Stokkes " gave ^i 7 to Edward 1 1 1, for the carrying on of
the French Wars. This was a large contribution, showing their prosperous condi-
tion. Their brethren, St. Nicholas Shambles, gave only ^9, those of West Cheap
only _;^S ; the greater Companies ^20 to ^40, the lesser mostly below £•]. This
old market was under strict supervision. In 1319 the market wardens cited one
William Sperlyng for offering two putrid beef carcases for sale. A jury of twelve
pronouncing the carcases putrid as alleged, the unhappy man was ordered
to be put in the pillory and to have the two carcases burned beneath him (Riley), as
in the case of the pork butcher already mentioned. In 135 1 one Henry de
Passelewe, cook, was cited before the commonalty on a charge of selling at the
Stocks a pasty in which the two capons baked therein were " putrid and stinking,
and an abomination to mankind : to the scandal, contempt and disgrace of all the
City," and the manifest peril of the life of the purchaser. Passelewe contended that
when sold the capons were "good, well-flavoured, fitting and proper." However,
eight good and trusty cooks pronounced them " stinking and rotten, and baneful to
the health of man." So poor Passelewe was sentenced to the pillory, the offensive
pasty to be carried before him, and a proclamation to be made as to the reason of
his punishment.
Considerable prejudice existed against non-freemen using the market. In 13S2
Adam Carlelle, late alderman of Aldgate, approached the places of the "foreign
fishmongers" and "in a haughty and spiteful manner cursed the said strangers,
saying that he did not care who heard it or knew of it, but that it was a great
mockery and badly ordained than such ribalds as those should sell their fish in the
City, and further that he would rather a fishmonger who was his neighbour in the City
should make 20s. by him, than such a ribald barlelle was adjudged to have thus ex-
pressed contempt for the command of the king and the ordinance of the City, and was
excluded from ever holding any offices of dignity in the City " (Riley, Memorials).
In 1410 (2 Henry IV.) it was found necessary to rebuild the market, and
the work was completed in the next year. The annual rents were valued at
;^56:i9:6 in 1507, an increase of ^10 on 185 years. In 1543, only 36 years
later, the sum reached ^82 : 3s. per annum. The market must have been fully
let at that time: fishmongers had 25 stalls, producing ^34:13:4 in rent; the
butchers rented 18 stalls at ^41 : 16:4; there were also 16 upper chambers rented
^^ £5 • 13 • 4 — total ^82 : 3s. per annum (Stow's Survey, p. 243, 1754).
In 1509 (i Henry VIII.) the dwellers about the Stocks obtained leave of
the Common Council to substitute for a leaden water-pipe at the south-east of the
market a stone conduit, or, as it is called in the petition, " a portico of stone, with
a cesterne of lead therein" from which water was "to bee drawne out by cocks."
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 125
Time wrought changes in the market and its uses. After the Great Fire, the
fishmongers and most of the butchers gave place to the sellers of fruits, roots,
and herbs. It was of note, says Strype (1720), "for having the choicest in the
kind of all sorts, surpassing all other markets in London." The post-Fire market
was increased by the addition of the sites of St. Mary Woolchurch Haw and
its churchyard, the sites of three houses belonging to the parish, purchased for
^350, and of the site of the rectory house, obtained at a perpetual rental of ;^io
per annum. Thus the new market was 230 feet from north to south, and 108
feet from east to west, measured at the middle ; besides the open roadways or
passages on the west and east sides. The eastern side was planted with "rows
of trees, very pleasant." The market-place itself had twenty-two covered fruit stalls,
most of them at the north side ; two ranges of covered butchers' stalls, with racks,
blocks, and scales, in the south-east corner ; the remaining space was occupied by
gardeners and others who sold "fruits, roots, herbs, and flowers" (Strype, 1720).
Well might Shad well ask in his Bjiry Fair (16S9), "Where is such a garden in
Europe as the Stocks Market .'' " Here follows an amusing description of it
taken from a paper called The Wandering Spy (1705) :
" I saw Stocks Market, all garnished with nuts, and pears, and grapes, and
golden pippins, all in rank and file most prettily. And then on the other side
for physic herbs there is enough to furnish a whole country, from the nourishing
Eringo, to the destructive Savine, where a man may buy as much for a penny as
an apothecary will afford for half-a-crown, and do a man twice as much good as
their specific bolusses, hipnotic draughts, sudorific hausteses, anodyne compositions,
and twenty other flip-flops with hard names, which only disorder the body, put
nature into convulsions, and prepare a man for the sexton. But here a man may
consult a female doctor in a straw hat without fee, have what quantity he pleases,
of what herb he pleases, be his distemper what it will, and convert it into a juice,
concoction, syrup, purge, or glister, in a quarter of an hour, without any danger
to body or pocket" (Malcolm, Londinium Rediviuni).
Oak Apple Day, 1672, was a gala day for the market. Then it was that
Sir Robert Vyner inaugurated the "nobly great statue of King Charles II. on
horseback " which he had, at his own charge, caused to be set upon the conduit
at the north end of the same. The King was represented in armour, his head
uncovered ; the horse trampled beneath its feet the fallen form of Oliver Cromwell.
The whole, which was of white marble, stood upon a freestone pedestal 18 feet
high, carved with the royal arms and niches containing dolphins. Handsome
iron gates and rails enclosed this loyal tribute to a great king. That day the
market conduit ran with wine ; three years afterwards Sir Robert Vyner was
Lord Mayor. Alas ! the glory of the statue, as of the monarch it portrayed, was
short-lived. It was soon criticised as a clumsy work, and the revelation of its
126 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
history turned it into a laughing-stock. Early in the eighteenth century it was
discovered that the loyal Vyner had found somewhere abroad a statue of John
Sobieski, King of Poland, conqueror of the Turks at Choozim. The statue
represented the King's horse trampling on a Turk. It lay on the sculptor's hands.
Sir Robert, seeing the means of paying his sovereign a compliment without great
expense, obtained the statue, and secured Latham to substitute the head of Charles
for that of the Pole. The downtrodden Turk was christianised into Cromwell,
only, unfortunately, Latham omitted to alter the Turk's turban, which remained
intact and incongruous upon Oliver's head, and served as a confirmation of the
story. There is a lampoon on the statue worth quoting. It occurs in Lord
Rochester's History of the Insipids (1676) :
Could Robert \'ynei" have foreseen
The glorious triumphs of his master,
The Woolwich Statue gold had been,
Which now is made of alabaster :
But wise men think had it been wood
'Twere for a bankrupt king too good!
When Stocks conduit was removed, the " ridiculous statue " was relegated to the
rubbish heaps of Guildhall; finally the Common Council granted it to Mr. Robert
Vyner, a descendant of Sir Robert, in 1 779, and it was taken by its new owner
to adorn his country seat at Gantly Park, Lincolnshire. The year 1737 saw the
end of Stocks Market in this place. On March 12 the sheriffs petitioned the
House of Commons to remove it to Fleet Ditch, and to erect the Mansion House
upon its site. Their prayer was granted ; the market was removed at Michaelmas
1737, and the ancient market-place was enclosed with a broad fence. In its new-
home the name which it had borne for 255 years was lost, and it became known
as the Fleet Market. At Michaelmas 1829, exactly 82 years after its removal,
it was closed and the site cleared to form Farringdon Street. St. Christopher le
Stocks, so called from its proximity to the market, stood on part of the site of the
present Bank of England. Seven streets now meet before the Bank and pour
forth omnibuses, cabs, and other vehicles in an endless stream of traffic. Below
are the white - bricked subways of the electric railway which form a safe crossing
for those who cannot ford the river of traffic.
St. Christopher le Stocks stood on the north side of Threadneedle Street in the ward of Broad
Street. The date of its foundation is unknown. The building was much injured by the Great Fire and
subsequently repaired. In 1780, after the Gordon Riots, it was taken down and its site is now covered
by part of the Bank of England. The earliest date of an incumbent is 12 So.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The family of Nevil in i 281 ; the Bishop of London,
141 5, in whose successors it continued up to 1783.
Houseling people in 1548 were 221.
The church originally contained monuments to Robert Thome, a donor of ;^4445 to the parish
■J.
y.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 127
for charitable uses ; William Hampton, mayor, 1472, and great benefactor, and other donors. Few of
these were to be seen after the Fire.
Chantries were founded here: By John Walles, mercer, whose endowment fetched ^10:13:4 in
1548; for Thomas Legg, to which William Swynbrok was admitted chaplain, January 10, 1370-71; for
John Gedney, Mayor of London, 1427, at the Altar of Holy Trinity; for Margerie de Nerford, William de
Bergh, cl. and Christian Vaughan, widow, at the Altar of Holy Trinity, for which the King granted his
licence, February 23, 1406-1407 : the endowment was valued at ^10 : 4s. in 1548 ; by John Plonkett, whose
endowment fetched ^13 : 17 : 8 in 1548 ; by Alice, wife of Benedict Harlewyn, late citizen and clothier,
at the Altar of Holy Trinity, for the king, John Wenlok, Knt., herself, Richard, Duke of York, and
Benedict her husband ; the King granted his licence, March 20, 1461-62 : the endowment fetched ^5 : 13 : 4
in 1548.
Robert Thome was donor of more than ^4445 to the parish. John Kendrick was also a great
benefactor, whose will is recorded in full by Stow. Sir Peter le Maire bequeathed ;i^ioo to the poor
of the parish. There were many other donors of smaller amounts. •
Among notable vicars were John Pearson (1631-86), Bishop of Chester, the theologian, and William
Peirse, Bishop of Peterborough in 1630.
The site of the Chufch of St. Bartholomew is now also absorbed by the Bank.
St. Bartholomew Exchange, formerly called Little St. Bartholomew, stood at the south-east corner
of St. Bartholomew Lane, over against the Royal Exchange. The date of its foundation is unknown but
about 1438 it was rebuilt. In 1840 it was sold, and possession given to Kames A\'illiam Freshfield, junr.,
for the Bank of England ; instead thereof the Church of St. Bartholomew, Moor Lane, was built. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1331.
The patronage was in the hands of: Simon Goddard, citizen and draper of London, who bequeathed
it to his heir, Johanna, in 1273-74; Edward HI. in 1364; Richard Pless) ; Abbot and Convent of St. Mary
Graces, 1374, confirmed February 19, 1422-23 ; Henry VHL, and continued in the Crown.
Houseling people in 1548 were 392.
Chantries were founded here for : Richard de Plessis, Dean of the Arches, who died 1362, when John
Radyng was admitted chaplain ; Mary, wife of Sir John Lepington.
Sir William Capell, mayor, 1509, was buried here, also James Wilford, sheriff, 1499. The church
originally contained a monument to Ricliard Croshawe, Master of the Company of Goldsmiths. He lived
in this parish for thirty-one years, and left by his will over ^4000 for the maintaining of lectures, relief
of the poor, and other charitable uses. There are no other gifts recorded.
Ralf Brideoake (1613-78), Bishop of Chichester, was rector here; also John Sharp (1645-1714),
Archbishop of York, and Zachary Pearce (1690-1774), Bishop of Rochester and Bangor.
Threadneedle Street. — The derivation of this extraordinary name is very
uncertain. Stow calls it Threeneedle Street, and it may possibly have arisen from
some tavern with the sign of the three needles. The arms of Needlemakers Company
are "three needles in fesse argent." This is one of the humbler Companies and has
no hall.
On the north side there were in the sixteenth century "divers fair and large"
houses, after which came the Hospital of St. Anthony, close to the Royal Exchange.
The very interesting foundation of St. Anthony is considered elsewhere, as so
long an account would interrupt our perambulation unduly. One of the oddest
customs at a time when there were so many odd customs, was that the pigs belonging
to this house were allowed to roam about the City as they pleased, and on the
128 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
i/th January, any year, had the privilege of going into any house that was open.
But in 1 28 1, and again in 1292, there are no exceptions made to the rule that all
pigs, to whomsoever they may belong, shall be killed, if found in the street.
An open concrete-covered space beyond the Royal Exchange lines part of this
street. Here there is a fountain erected in 1878 by the exertions and donations of
an alderman. A gilded canopy overhangs a stone group of a mother and two
children. The pedestal and basins are of granite. On the east there is a seated
figure of Peabody, life size. The buildings on the north side of the street do not
require much comment ; the North British & Mercantile Insurance Company is the
most noticeable, because the horizontal lines are broken by the deeply recessed
windows. The Postal Telegraph Office next door has a little tower on the summit,
and the frontage is sprinkled with rather conventional stone panels and has a
superfluity of stone ornament. The Consolidated Bank, after the following corner,
has a plain frontage, which makes a deep frieze across the upper part more striking ;
this is an allegorical subject in a stone has relievo under a heavy cornice. The
National Bank of India is a solid, well-proportioned building with symmetrical
columns of polished granite running up the front.
St. Benet Finck was situated on the south side of Threadneedle Street, east of the Royal Exchange.
It was dedicated to St. Benedict and took its additional name from its founder, Robert Fincke. The date
of its foundation is unknown. It was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt by Wren, who completed
it in 1673. The church was taken dow^n in 1842, and its parish united with that of St. Peter-le-Poer.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 1323. The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The
family of Nevils in 1281, who presented to it as a Rectory; Master and Brethren of the Hospital of
St. Anthony, then the Dean and Chapter of Windsor, 1474, up to ICS44, when it was annexed to St.
Peter-le-Poer.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300 and above.
Wren's church was elliptical in shape, and measured 63 feet by 48 feet. It was traversed by six
composite columns, which, with the connecting arches, supported the roof. The steeple, which rose to
a height of no feet roughly, consisted of a tower, lead-covered cupola, and lantern.
The original church contained monuments to John Wilcocks and Dame Anne Awnsham (d. 1613),
both benefactors of the parish. After the Great Fire a Table of Benefactors was set up to the memory of:
George Holman, donor of j[^\oqo to the rebuilding of the church ; Anne Thriscrosse, donor of .;^ioo for
apprenticing poor children, and several other donors. On a table in the organ loft there was an inscrip-
tion to Mrs. Sarah Gregory, donor of ;^6oo for various charitable purposes. In 1662 Richard Baxter, the
celebrated Nonconformist divine, was married here.
In Threadneedle Street, at the corner of Bartholomew Lane, is the Sun Fire
Office with glittering gilt suns over the corner and windows. The angle has been
sliced off to form an entrance. A heavy wreath of foliage in stone surrounds the
window above. The architect was C. R. Cockerell. A graceful new building in
white stone with engaged pillars fluted, rising from the top of the ground-floor,
contains the Life Alliance and Fire Office in Bartholomew Lane. Next door is
Bartholomew House with the usual stereotyped stone detail, and a couple of some-
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
129
what cumbrous stone figures reclining over each side window. Capel Court leads to
the Stock Exchange.
At No. 40 Threadneedle Street is a paved courtyard shut in by iron gates and
behind an archway, striking because of its size and the massiveness of its stonework.
This leads to entrances of the National Provincial Bank of England, and the
Dralt'ii hy G. Shtth.r.l.
i;i;m;t finck
Mercantile Bank of India. Beyond it is the Baltic and South Sea House. This
differs from all the preceding buildings because it belongs to the eighteenth century,
as the deep tinge of its well-preserved bricks tells.
The centre window and doorway are encased in stonework, and the solidity of
the whole structure is in contrast with its " bubble" reputation. It is now occupied
as chambers by merchants, brokers, etc., and the secretary of the Baltic Company
finds lodging here among others.
9
I30 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
On the south side of Threadneedle Street we have the Bank of Australasia.
Then two great doorways with an interval between them. These bear over them
the arms of the powerful Merchant Taylors Company, whose hall is behind.
MERCHANT TAYLORS COMPANY
The precise date of the foundation of the Company is not known, but one of the earhest civic records
inentioning the Taylors as a separate craft, is the " Chronicle of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London,'
which narrates their dispute with the Goldsmiths in November 1267.
In 1299 Edward I. granted them his licence to adopt the name of "Taylors and Linen Armourers
of the Fraternity of St. John the Baptist." Stow says that on St. John Baptist's Day, 1300, a master
(Henry de Ryall) and four wardens were chosen, the master being then called " the pilgrim," as travelling
for the whole Company, and the warders "the purveyors of alms or quarterages," plainly showing that the
gild was originally a charitable as well as a commercial fraternity.
In March 1326 the first charter was granted to the Company by Edward III.
In 1 37 1 the Company, under this charter, made an ordinance to regulate their trade, with the special
object of recovering damages from workmen miscutting the cloth entrusted to them.
The Company acquired that portion of their Threadneedle Street estate upon which their present
hall stands in 1331.
In 1 35 1 they enrolled their first honorary inember ; and about 1361 obtained a grant of a chapel at
the north side of St. Paul's, in honour of St. John the Baptist, for daily service and prayers for " the pre-
servation of them that are or shall be of the fraternity."
In 1480 the Company received their first grant of arms, taking religious emblems, viz. a holy lamb
set within a sun, the crest being within the pavilion. Our Blessed Lady St. Mary the Virgin, Christ her
Son standing naked before her, holding between His hands a vesture {tunica inconsu/ilis).
In 1484 the celebrated controversy for precedence in processions, etc., between the Taylors and
Skinners arose, which was settled by the award of the Lord Mayor that each Company should have
precedence in alternate years, and that each should invite the other to dine once in every year. This
custom has been ever since kept up, the master and wardens of the Taylors dining with the Skinners
on the first Thursday in December, the master and wardens of the Skinners with the Taylors on
the 14th July.
It was not till 1502 that the Company attained to the full privileges which they afterwards enjoyed.
Under Henry VII. 's charter, not only were the Company made " Merchant " Taylors, but they ceased to
be exclusively Taylors, and were permitted to receive others into their fraternity.
The principal object of the guild was the preservation of the trade or calling of the fraternity, no one
being permitted to work in London as a " tailor " unless a freeman of the Company. For the protection
of the trade the right of search was vested in the guild, such search being a guarantee to the public that
the honest usages of trade were observed, and to the fraternity that their monopoly was not infringed.
Before a tailor's shop was opened a licence had to be obtained from the master and w-ardens of the
Company, and they granted the licence only when satisfied of the competency of the freeman. Until the
abolition of Bartholomew Fair in 1854, after an existence of 700 years, the beadle of the Company used
annually to attend the fair and to proceed to the drapers' shops, taking with him the Company's silver
yard stick as the standard by which to test the measures used for selling cloth in the fair.
In 1555, in anticipation of the foundation of Merchant Taylors' School, Sir Thomas White, a
member of the Court of the Merchant Taylors Comjiany, founded St. John's College, Oxford, reserving
forty-three out of its fifty endowed fellowships for scholars from the school.
The Company's school was founded in 1561 on Lawrence Pountney Hill.
Great Crosby School, near Liverpool, of which the Company are sole trustees and managers, was
founded in 1618 by John Harrison.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
131
In 1622 Dr. Thomas White estabhshed Sion College, giving to the Company the nomination to eight
of the twenty almshouses which he connected with the college.
In 1666 the losses sustained by the Company in the Fire of London obliged them to let their land in the
City upon small ground-rents to enable their tenants to rebuild, and their resources were thus much crippled.
The number of the livery is 288. The Corporate Income is ^37,000; the Trust Income is
;^i 3,000. Their hall is at 30 Threadneedle Street.
Privileges of membership :
(1) The only advantages that a freeman in easy circumstances possesses is eligibility for the livery, and
prospectively for the court, and the comfortable assurance that, should he fall into poverty by misfortune and
maintain his respectability, he will receive a pension from the Company varying in amount from ;^5 to ;^40
a year, and that, should his wife and daughters be left in poverty, they will be assisted by the Company to
earn a living. Freemen are eligible for certain gifts and loans of rnoney for their advancement in life.
si'. M.\RTIN OUTWICII
Poverty from ill-health, old age, or incapacity to earn a livelihood, alone constitutes a claim to a
pension or donation.
The only patronage enjoyed by individual members of the court is the power of presenting boys to
the Company's school in London. Each member of the court has two or sometimes three presentations
annually, according to vacancies.
The present magnificent hall was built in 167 i by Jerman. It has been altered and improved, but
it remains much the same as when Jerman handed it over to the Company.
The Company has almshouses and schools, notably the great school on the site of the Charter
House. It also gives largely to the City and Guilds of London Technical Institute.
At the east end of Threadneedle Street, where it meets Bishopsgate Street,
stood St. Martin Oiitwich.
St. Martin OutWich was called Oteswich or Outwich from four brothers of that name who founded
it. It escaped the Great Fire, but was rebuilt in 1796 by the Merchant Taylors Company. In 1873 the
132 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
parish of St. Martin Outwich was united with that of St. Helen, Bishopsgate, and the former church pulled
down ; the Capital and Counties Bank stands on its site. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1300.
The patronage of the Church was in the hands of: Edward III., who granted it to John de Warren,
Earl of Surrey, in 1328; the Oteswiches, who, by their trustee, John Churchman, conveyed it to the
Merchant Taylors Company, July 15, 1406, who presented it up to 1S55.
Houseling people in 1548 were 227.
A chantry was founded here by John de Bredstrete, whose endowment for this and other purposes
fetched ^4 : 3 : 4 in 1548. The King granted his licence to found the Guild of St. Baptist, July 15, 1406.
Money fetched 5 per cent in 1548, for one John Kyddermester the elder by his will bequeathed
;!^2oo to purchase ;£io by year to keep an obite, etc., in St. Martin Outwich.
A considerable number of monuments are recorded by Stow. Some of the most notable are those
in memory of: Matthew Pemberton, Merchant Taylor, donor of ^50 for repairing the chapel of St.
Lawrence; Richard Staper, alderman, 1594, and greatest merchant of his day; George Sotherton,
sometime Master of the Merchant Taylors Company, and M.P. for the City of London, who died in 1599.
All the monuments in St. Martin Outwich were removed to St. Helen, Bishopsgate, on the union of the
parishes.
No detailed account of the charities is recorded by Stow. The benefactors whose names are given,
were: Sir Henry Rowe, donor of ^^5 yearly; Mrs. Taylor, donor of £^2 : 15s., for two special sermons
a )ear.
George Gardiner (d. 1589), chaplain to Queen Elizabeth and Dean of Norwich, was rector here;
also Richard Kidder (1633-1703), Bishop of Bath and Wells; Samuel Bishop (1731-95), head master
of Merchant Taylors' School.
There was near the church a well with two buckets ; this was afterwards turned into a pump.
There are references to "rents" in Broad Street as early as 125S; in 1278,
Matthew de Hekham, on his way from Broad Street to the Jewry, was murdered
by Jews; in 1331 there is the conveyance of a very large and substantial house
belonging to Edmund Crepin, citizen, and deed of hire by Sir Oliver Ingham,
Knt. In 1387, the parson of St. Peter's, Broad Street, brings to the mayor
and aldermen a breviary called " Portehers," 2.c. for carrying about, bequeathed
to the prison of Newgate by the late Hugh Tracy, chaplain, so that priests and
clerks there imprisoned might say their service from it. And he also obtained
permission to visit the prison from time to time in order to see that the book was
well kept.
" East from Currier's row is a long and high wall of stone, inclosing the north
side of a large garden adjoining to as large an house, built in the reign of King
Henry VIII., and of Edward \'I., by Sir William Powlet, lord Treasurer of
England. Through this garden, which of old time consisted of divers parts, now
united, was sometimes a fair footway, leading by the west end of the Augustine
Friars church straight north, and opened somewhat west from Allhallows church
against London wall towards Moregate ; which footway had gates at either end,
locked up every night ; but now the same way being taken into those gardens, the
gates are closed up with stone, whereby the people are forced to go about by St.
Peter's church, and the east end of the said Friars church, and all the said great
place and garden of Sir William Powlet to London Wall, and so to Moregate.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 133
" This great house, adjoining to the garden aforesaid, stretcheth to the north
corner of Broad Street, and then turneth up Broad Street all that side to and
beyond the east end of the said Friars church. It was built by the said lord
treasurer in place of Augustine Friars house, cloister, and gardens, etc. The F"riars
church he pulled not down, but the west end thereof, inclosed from the steeple and
choir, was in the year 1550 granted to the Dutch nation in London, to be their
preaching place : the other part, namely, the steeple, choir, and side aisles to the
choir adjoining, he reserved to household uses, as for stowage of corn, coal, and
other things ; his son and heir. Marquis of Winchester, sold the monuments of
noblemen (there buried) in great number, the paving-stone and whatsoever (which
cost many thousands), for one hundred pounds, and in place thereof made fair
stabling for horses. He caused the lead to be taken from the roofs, and laid tile in
place whereof; which e.xchange proved not so profitable as he looked for, but rather
to his disadvantage" (Stow's Survey, p. 184).
This house stood on the north side of what was afterwards called Winchester
Street ; the garden and grounds between it and the nave of Austin Friars' Church
having been built over. The beautiful steeple of the church, in spite of the remon-
strances of the parishioners and of a letter of remonstrance addressed to the Marquis
by the mayor and aldermen, was pulled down in 1604. The letter, the earliest in
favour of the preservation of ancient monuments, is given in Strype, vol. i. p. 442 :
" Right Honorablk, my very good Lord — There hath been offered of late,
unto this Court, a most just and earnest Petition, by divers of the chiefest of the
Parish of St. Peter the Poor, in London, to move us to be humble Suitors unto your
Lordship in a Cause, which is sufficient to speak for itself, without the Mediation
of any other, viz. : — for the Repairing of the ruinous Steeple of the Church, sometime
called. The Augustine Friars, now belonging to the Dutch Nation, situate in the
same Parish of St. Peter the Poor : The Fall whereof, which, without speedy
Prevention, is near at hand, must needs bring with it not only a great deformitie to
the whole City, it being, for Architecture, one of the beautifullest and rarest
Spectacles thereof, but also a fearful eminent danger to all the inhabitants ne.xt
adjoining. Your Lordship being moved herein, as we understand, a year since, was
pleased then to give honorable Promises with Hope of present help, but the effects
not following according to your honorable intention, we are bould to renew the said
Suit agayne ; eftsoons craving at your Lordship's hands a due consideration of so
worthy a work, as to help to build up the House of God ; one of the cheefest
fountains, from whence hath sprung so great glory to your Lordship's most noble
descendency of the Powlets ; whose steps your Lordship must needs follow, to
continue, to all posterity, the fame of so bountiful benefactors both to Church
and Commonwealth.
134 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
" So that I trust we shall have the less need to importune your Lordship in so
reasonable a suite ; first, Bycause it doth principally concern your Lordship, being
the Owner of the greatest part of the said Speare, or Steeple ; but especially that by
disbursing of a small sum of money, to the value of 50 or 60 _^s, your Lordship shall
do an excellent work, very helpful to many, and most grateful to all, as well English
as strangers ; who, by this means, shall have cause to magnify to the world this so
honorable and charitable an action. And I and my brethren shall much rejoice to
be releeved herein by your Lordship's most noble disposition, rather than to i\y to
the last remedie of the Law of the Land ; which, in this case, hath provided a Writ
De reparatione facienda.
" Thus, hoping as assuredlie on your Lordship's favour, as we pray incessantlie
for your continual Felicitie, we humbly take leaves of your Lordship. From
London, the 4th of August, 1600.
"Your Lordship's humbly to be commauned,
Nycholas Mosly, Mayor. Richard Martvn,
John Hart, Henry Billingsly, Stephen
SoAME, William Ryder, John Garrard,
Thomas Bennett, Thomas Lowe, Leonard
Holiday, Robert Hamtson, Ry. Godard,
John Wattes, Tho. Smythe, William
Craven, and Humphrey Weld."
The ancient Church of Austin Friars was given by Edward \'l. to the Dutch
congregation, in whose possession it still continues. All that remains is the nave.
In 1862 this was badly damaged by fire, but was carefully restored, the window
tracery and roof dating from that time as well as many other additions. For an
account of the Austin Friars, see Mediaval London, vol. ii. p. 345.
Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, lived in Broad Street in Queen Elizabeth's
reign. Lords Weston and Dover in that of Charles I.
" Here was a Glass House where Venice Glasses were made' and Venetians
employed in the work ; and Mr. James Howel (author of the familiar Letters which
bear his name) was Steward to this house. When he left this place, scarce able to
bear the continual heat of it, he thus wittily e.vpressed himself, that had he continued
still Steward he should in a short time have melted away to nothing among those
hot Venetians. This place afterwards became Pinners' Hall" (Cunningham's
Handbook).
General Monk (February 1660) took up his quarters at the Glass House. On
the north side was the Navy Pay Office, on the south the Excise Office.
On the site of the Excise Office was Gresham College. Sir Thomas Gresham,
who died in 1596, bequeathed his dwelling-house in Bishopsgate Street for the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
135
purposes of the college, besides presenting the Corporation of the City of London
and the Mercers Company with the Royal Exchange on the condition that they
carried on lectures in the college as he prescribed. His house was a very fine one,
well suited for the purpose he had in view. After the death of his widow in 1596,
lectures on seven subjects were appointed and the work began. The house escaped
the Great Fire of 1666, and the mayor took the college for courts and meet-
ings ; the merchants used the inner court for their Exchange, and temporary shops
were put up for the use of those who had been burned out by the destruction
GRESHAM COLLEGE
of the Exchange. In the history of the college there has been a good deal of
litigation, the full story of which may be found in Maitland and elsewhere.
The following Regulations are given in Stow and Strype, in 1720, in full.
They are here abridged :
1. Precedency of the Professors.
The three Professors of Divinity, Law, and Medicine to l)e Governor or President of the
College in turn.
2. The Professors to live in the College.
3. The Professors to he unmarried.
4. To have a common table, and not to entertain friends as guests at more than three meals
in one month.
136 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
5. The Year to consist of five terms :
(i) To begin on the Monday before Trinity Term and to continue one month.
{2) From the first Monday in September and to continue a fortnight.
(3) From the Monday before Michaelmas Term and to continue to the end of that Term.
(4) From the Monday after Epiphany to continue two months or sixty days.
(5) From the Monday seven night after Easter Day to the end of Easter Term.
6. The Divinity Lecture to be read on Monday and Wednesday at 8 a.m. in Latin and on
Friday in English.
7. The Divinity Lecturer to deal especially with the controversies which affect the Church of Rome.
8. The Law and Physick Lectures to be read, like the Divinity Lecture, twice in Latin and once
in English.
9. The other lectures in Astronomy, Geometry, Rhetoric, and Music to be read alternately in
Latin and English.
10. The Professors to wear their hoods and gowns.
11. A keeper of the House to be appointed by the Lord Mayor.
The college was intended to be a rival, in some sort, to Oxford and Cambridge.
It seems never to have succeeded in attracting students. Dr. Johnson attributed
its failure to the fact that the lectures were free, and that what is given is not valued.
The House was pulled down in 1768 and the Excise Office took its place. The
lectures were then read in a room at the Royal Exchange. In 1843 the present
building was erected and the college entered upon a new course. So far, however,
it does not seem to fulfil the intentions of the Founder as a great educational centre.
Isaac Barrow, Robert Hooke, and Christopher Wren have been Professors in the
college. The Royal Society held its meetings here for fifty years (1660- 17 10).
ST. PETER-LE-POER
In Broad Street at present still stands St. Peter-le-Poer, nearly opposite the Excise .Office. It
escaped the Great Fire, but was rebuilt in 1791 from the designs of Jesse Gibson. In 1S42-44 St. Benet
Finck was demolished, and its parish was united with this. The earliest date of an incumbent is
1356-
So far as there is any record, since 1181 at least, the patronage of the church has always been in the
hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 1548 were 160 or 200.
The church is circular in shape, with a recess at the north for the altar ; a gallery originally ran
round the building, but in 18S8 the greater part of this was removed. The steeple rises at the south, the
only side on which the exterior is visible, owing to surrounding buildings. It consists of a square tower,
supporting a stone cupola which is terminated by a vane.
The most interesting monument which the present church contains is that in memory of Dr. Richard
Holdsworth, rector here in 1623, who was for some time imprisoned by the Long Parliament. He was
Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and several times Vice-Chancellor of the University. The
church originally contained monuments to : John Lucas, Master of the Requests to Edward VI., who died
1556 ; Robert Calthrop, mayor, 1588 ; Sir William Roche, mayor, 1540 ; and Sir William Ciaraway, at whose
expense a new aisle was made in 161 6, costing .^6400.
Some of the charities given yearly to the poor were : ^4, the gift of Lady Ramsey ; /^s> ^^^ 8'^ o^
John Quarles, for bread ; ;^2o, the gift of Lady Richard, for housekeepers at Christmas time; ;^3o, the
gift of Gerard Vanheithuysens, to be distributed among the poor.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 137
There were six almshouses in Broad Street, the gift of Sir Thomas Gresham.
Richard Holdsworth (1590-1649), Dean of Worcester, was rector here; also Benjamin Hoadley
(1676-1761), successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Saruni, of Winchester.
Opposite the church of St. Peter-le-Poer stood the "old " South Sea House, and
behind it the yards used by the Company. This was the back of South Sea House,
the front of which was at the east end of Threadneedle Street where it runs into
Bishopsgate Street. The City of London Club now has its premises here ; it is a
large building with a massive porch, built by P. Hardwick.
Of the other business houses in this street there is nothing to say. At the
corner of Winchester Street is Winchester House (modern), which keeps alive the
m.emory of old Winchester House, standing until 1839, the town house of the
marquises of Winchester.
The Pinners' Hall was formerly in this street (see Appendix).
Wormwood Street is a continuation of London Wall, facing it. " In the
street," says Strype, " briefly, there be divers courts and alleys." In other words,
that part of London was occupied as lately as 1720 or 1750 by a population of
industrial folk not yet driven out by the increase of merchants' offices and banks.
There appear to have been no antiquities in this street, unless we reckon a
small burial-ground belonging to St. Martin Outwich, which lay in the point of
the wall.
Of London Wall we have already spoken.
Northward are three stations, Broad Street, Bishopsgate Street, and
Liverpool Street.
There are dreary rows of old brick houses on either side of the part of New
Broad Street which runs east and west. Towards the west end of the street are
one or two well-built business houses. The site of the Jews' Synagogue is occupied
by Blomfield House, largely inhabited by secretaries of companies and syndicates.
When we turn the corner into the part of New Broad Street running north and
south, we find some large modern buildings. On the east the building is uniform
for a considerable way. Broad Street House occupies all the frontage between the
two passages of St. Botolph's Churchyard. It is stone fronted and is in an Italian
style. Dashwood House behind it covers a very large area of ground. It
is of ugly design in red brick with each line of windows in a different style.
Both of these are largely occupied by agents, engineers, secretaries of companies,
etc. Dashwood House looks out on the churchyard. This is an uninviting
strip of ground surrounded on the south by the backs of warehouses. A
small house at the east end is called " The Old Watchhouse," and bears an
inscription to the effect that it was rebuilt in 1771 by an alderman named
James Townsend.
In Blomfield Street was formerly the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital,
138 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
now removed to the City Road. The Hospital had its origin in 1804 when some
gentlemen founded a free dispensary for eye diseases.
There are some large buildings on the east known as Blomfield Buildings, also
the London Provident Institution Savings Bank, and the headquarters of the
London Missionary Society. The bank bears an inscription to the effect that it was
erected 1835 and enlarged 1875. This Society was first formed a hundred years ago
(January 15, 1795) in the Castle and Falcon Inn, Aldersgate Street, and it now
sends missionaries to every quarter of the world. Close by is St. Mary's Roman
Catholic Chapel, stucco-covered, and a Roman Catholic School. At the corner of
East Street is a fine building called Finsbury House, with grey granite columns
of considerable strength running from the ground-floor upwards. It is well pro-
portioned and has a well-finished angle.
Finsbury Circus is surrounded by a uniform line of dull brick houses having
their ground-floors covered with yellow stucco. At one point only do the area
railings give way, and that is at the London Institution, built of Portland stone, with
a heavy portico and fluted columns. The Institution was established in 1806 in Old
Jewry and afterwards removed to King's Arms Yard, Coleman Street. It was
incorporated a year after its establishment. The present building was founded in
181 5 and opened four years later.
A great many solicitors have their offices in the Circus, and there is also a
sprinkling of surgeons, accountants, and secretaries of companies. The centre of the
Circus is occupied by a wide space of grass surrounded by a thick shrubbery of trees.
Northward of this is Finsbury Square, built in 1789 by George Dance. At
the junction of Finsbury Pavement and Moorgate Street stood Moor Gate from
which northwards outside the walls stretched the great open moor, the playground
of the London citizens ; this is now all built over with the exception of the Square
and Circus mentioned above.
Moorfields so frequently occurs in documents before the end of the eighteenth
century, and played so large a part in the life of the Londoner, that it deserves some
notice. The earliest mention made of it is in the reign of Henry II., and w-as
apparently a large open mere or marsh on which water lay in parts, so that in winter
it was covered with ice, and formed a playground where the young citizens practised
a primitive kind of skating. It was drained in 1627, and in Queen Elizabeth's time
was much resorted to for the practice of archery. It was also used as a general
rendezvous for all who desired to meet without the gates, a perpetual fair, a drying
ground, a preaching place, and many other things. It is generally said that the
houseless people assembled here after the Great Fire ; but Moorfields could have
accommodated but a tenth part of them, so that the camps must have extended
northward and westward far beyond the limits of Moorfields into Finsbury Fields
northwards and to Islington.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 139
Various attempts were made from time to time to enclose parts of Moorfields
and build on the space, and these were resisted by the citizens with much ardour ; but
the spreading tide heeds not resistance, and gradually the whole area was built over —
even in the seventeenth century the fields were enclosed and surrounded by shops.
Moor Gate was rebuilt in 1672, and the central gateway made higher than usual
that the City Trained Bands might march through with pikes erect.
From end to end Moorgate Street is composed of comparatively uniform stucco-
fronted houses in a hideous Victorian style, with little projecting pediments and
cornices over the windows. To this there is one exception, at the south-east corner,
in the British and Fire Insurance Office, a stone and grey granite building of
imposing size.
Great Swan Alley is a narrow entry which comes out just beside Ye Old
Swan's Nest public-house, which is a new stone-faced building. At the north-east
corner are Swan Chambers, designed by Basil Champneys in 1891.
Moorgate Court (late Coleman Street Buildings) contains the Institute of
Chartered Accountants, a very fine building of stone, with panels of female figures in
relief; on each panel is a shield, and the words Arts, Sciences, Crafts, Education,
Commerce, Agriculture, Manufacture, Mining, Railways, Shipping, India, Colonies,
Building are inscribed on these shields. This frieze extends across the whole
frontage, but is cut up by intersecting columns. It is the work of Hamo Thorney-
croft. The angle at the corner has the merit of being thoroughly unconventional.
The figure of Justice surmounts the balcony. The building was designed by John
Belcher, 1892. Facing south is a red brick and stone building known as Moorgate
Court. This is in a picturesque style of Perpendicular Gothic, and the building over
the projecting porch is carried up to the roof, giving relief to the frontage. Altogether
this is an unexpectedly picturesque Court. In the covered entry leading to it from
Moorgate Street are two old doorways, the northern one fascinating, with grotesque
faces on the keystone of the lintel, and vertical Wrenian ornaments on either side.
Looking back at the entry from the street we see that these doorways belong to a
very old plaster house, with tiled roof, which stands back from the street line, over-
looking two shops, one on either side the entry, which are finished with parapets.
The windows in the tiled roof also peep over a parapet. This is the only picturesque
bit in that very ugly but useful thoroughfare — Moorgate Street.
Close at hand the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation have fitted up
their ground-floor with pink terra-cotta which jars with the yellow plaster above.
Altogether, to the east of Moorgate Street lie an amazing number of quiet courts,
without beauty, but lined by respectable solid brick-and-plaster houses.
Between Moorgate and Old Broad Streets east and west, and London Wall and
Throgmorton Street north and south, lies a typical business quarter.
In Copthall Buildings we see great modern houses. The Chambers here are
I40 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
filled by stock-jobbers and stockbrokers. Copthall Avenue is made up of fine well-
built houses and little old ones. Lanthorn, Moorgate, Throgmorton, Copthall Houses
are all in a sensible but not displeasing style. Some are of the lighter red brick and
light stone which shows up well in a London Street, others in grey stone and granite.
Copthall House, which runs round the corner along the south part of Sun Court, has
windows bayed in imitation of an old style. Basil Champneys was the architect.
For the old houses, Nos. 4 and 6 on the east side date from the seventeenth
century. Nos. 10 and 12 are of about the same date. Nos. 22, 24, and 26
farther northward are also old, and are perhaps early eighteenth century ; their
discoloured bricks and the bent lines of the windows and doorway bear testimony
to their years.
Of Lothbury there is not much to say ; it contains the Bank of Scotland, and
the chief office of the London and Westminster Bank, and numerous companies are
promoted and worked from this address.
The building at the corner of Tokenhouse Yard is in the style known as
Venetian Gothic. It is harmoniously carried out. There is a somewhat deeply
recessed doorway. The building bears a frieze or panel on it which divides an
upper window into two parts. It was designed by G. Somers Clarke and built in 1866.
No. 19, the Auction Mart in Tokenhouse Yard, owns the same architect, and is
characterised by the same air of neatness and finish.
ST. MARGARET, LOTHBURY
St. Margaret, Lothbury, was probably rebuilt about 1440; the building was destroyed by the Great
Fire ; the present church was designed by ^^'ren and completed in 1690. It serves, besides its own original
parish, for 6 other parishes — those of St. Christopher, St. Bartholomew by the Exchange, St. Olave Jewry,
St. Martin Pomeroy, St. Mildred in the Poultry, and St. Mary Colechurch. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1 181.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: the Abbess and Convent of Barking, Essex, 1303.
Henry VIII. who seized it, and so it continues in the Crown to the present time.
Houseling people in 154S were 279.
The church measures 66 feet in length, 54 feet in breadth, and 36 feet in height. It contains a nave,
chancel, and one aisle, separated by Corinthian columns. The south aisle, which is railed off, contains a
side-altar at the east. The steeple consists of a three-storied tower and cornice, surmounted by a lantern
and obelisk with finial and vane ; its total height is 140 feet.
Chantries were founded here by : John le Boteler, sen., citizen, for himself and Matilda his wife, for
which the King granted his licence, August 2, 1321 ; John Julyan, whose endowment fetched ;£^ 14:0 in
1548, when John Badye was priest; John Iforde, whose endowment yielded ^6: 13:4 in 1548, when
Patrick Faber was priest.
Reginald Coleman, son of Robert, who is supposed to be the first builder of Coleman Street, was
buried here in 1483. Also John Benet, rector of the parish and a great benefactor; John Dimocke, who
served Henry VHI. and Edward Yl. ; Nicholas Style, Alderman of London, who died in 1615.
On the demolition of St. Olave's, a monument to Alderman John Boydell, the engraver (Lord Mayor
in 1790), was removed to this church.
Anthony Bedingfield gave ^100 to the parish ; Mary Barnes, .;£ioo : Thomas Bremley, ^5 ; Henry
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
141
VIII., _^3 : 6 : 8 ; John Hanson. _£^o for the completion of the church. Many other names are recorded
on the Table of Benefactors.
Throgmorton Street takes its name from Sir Nicholas Throckmorton who,
tradition says, was poisoned by Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's
favourite. Sir Nicholas Throckmorton was born in 15 15 and died in 1570. There is
nothing to warrant the statement that he was poisoned by Dudley, with whom he was
on friendly terms. What was the name of the street before the life and death of
Sir Nicholas Throckmorton.'' Stow simply says that in Throgmorton Street,
Thomas Cromwell built a large house in the place of certain tenements. The house
in 1 541 became the property, and the second hall, of the Drapers Company. It
could hardly have been named after a man at that time only twenty-six years of age.
There were, however, other Throckmortons ; the name in the Dictionary of
National Biography occupies nearly eight pages. Most of them lived a good deal
in London ; all of them occupied good positions ; the street, formerly part of Lothbury,
may have received its name from one or other of the family. The following imperfect
genealogy of the family will illustrate this possibility :
sir John Throgmorton (Under Treasurer of= Alianora, heiress of Sir Guy de la Spirn of
Chamberlain of Exchequer). Lived in
London, where his will is dated (d. 1445).
Coughton.
Sir Thomas (d. 1472).
John.
Seven daughters.
Sir Robert, Privy Councillor Henrv \'II.
(d. 1518).
Sir George = Kathcrine, daughter of Lord \'aux.
Thomas (d. 161 4).
Thomas, Baronet,
1642.
Clement.
Job (1545-1601),
Puritan Controversialist.
Sir Nicholas
(1515-1570).
Etc.
Sir John (Master of Requests,
lived in London, d. 1580).
Francis, Conspirator
(b. I 554, executed Aug. 1584).
We have here a choice of four generations of Throckmortons, all more or less
intimately connected with London, any one of whom may have given his name to
the street.
The courts leading out of Throgmorton Street on the north were, in 1750,
Whalebone Court, Angel Court, Copt Hall Court, Warnford Court, and Austin Friars.
On the south were formerly Bartholomew Lane, Bartholomew Court, Shorters Court,
and Crown Court. All of these, except Whalebone and the Bartholomew Courts, still
exist.
The present Throgmorton Street is lined by the usual business houses in a
142 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
decorative style, with a general uniformity pervading all. The Drapers' Hall occupies
a great part of the northern side with its curving frontage and highly decorative frieze.
THE DRAPERS COMPANY
The association from wliich the Drapers Company derive their origin appears to have partaken of
the nature of a social and rehgious as well as a commercial guild. The exact date of their foundation
cannot be ascertained, but they undoubtedly existed as a brotherhood at a very early period. Madox
{Hist. Exch. p. 391) mentions the Gilda Parariorum, whereof John Maur was alderman, among the
adulterine guilds amerced in the 26 Henry II. (1180). The Company possess a certificate by William
Camden, Clarencieux King-of-Arms, certifying the arms borne by Henry Fitz Alwin, Lord Mayor 1198-
12 12, and that he was a member of the Drapers Company.
The earliest charter of which the Company have any record is the Charter of Privileges of 38
Edward III.
The earliest ordinances of which the Company possess any record purport to be a revision of an
earlier set made in 1322. The revised ordinances were made in 14 18.
The earliest accounts in the possession of the Company are those of the wardens for the year 1415.
In that year the number of members is shown to exceed 100, and quarterage was received from 83 persons,
and due from 13 more.
The arms of the Company were first granted by Sir William Bruges, Garter King-of-Arms, March 10,
1439-40. This grant was confirmed with the addition of crest and supporters by William Harvey,
Clarencieux, July 10, 1561, and again confirmed with a slight alteration by Sir William Segar, Garter,
June 6, Jac. I. 1613.
In 1607 the Company obtained an entirely new charter (4 Jac. I., 19th January), incorporating them
by their ancient style of " The Masters and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity
of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London," and vesting the govern-
ment in the master, four wardens and assistants. Under this charter the government of the Company has
been carried on down to the present day.
(i) The advantages incident to the position of a freeman of the Company consist of the eligibility
to participate in the various charitable funds held by the Company in trust for their members, and to
become liverymen of the Company.
(2) Liverymen of the Company, as such, have no pecuniary or other direct advantages, but they
constitute the class from which the governing body is elected, and every liveryman, except in cases of
special disqualification, is in his turn placed in nomination for the governing body.
(3) The master is entitled to, and is paid, certain small bequests which amount to ;^2 : 13 : 4
per annum.
The wardens are also entitled to certain bequests and allowances which amount on an average to
£,\o(> :4 : 10 per annum. This sum is not paid to them, but goes towards the cost of the election dinner
in August, which in ancient times was provided by the wardens.
The members of the governing body, as such, have no direct pecuniary or other advantages.
Freemen and liverymen of the Company receive no fees.
The fees paid to the master, wardens, and other members of the governing body, for their attendance
at courts and committees during the last ten years, average ;^32 2S : 12 : 6 per annum.
No pensions or donations are paid to liverymen. Liverymen who have become reduced in circum-
stances, and have applied for and received the return of their livery fine, are then eligible to receive
charitable assistance as freemen.
Assistance by way of pension or donation is not granted to any member of the Company except
on full inquiry into his circumstances, to ascertain that he is in need of assistance, and that his necessity
is not occasioned by his own improvidence or misconduct.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 143
The number of the livery of the Drapers is 300; their Corporate Income is ;^5o,ooo; their Trust
Income is ;^2S,ooo.
The Drapers have had several places of meeting. The first is said to have been the Church
of St. Mary Bethlehem outside Bishopsgate ; the ne.xt, where Nos. 19 to 23 St. Swithin's Lane now
is. This was formerly the house of Sir John Hend, draper, Lord Mayor 1391 and 1404, who
materially assisted towards the rebuilding of St. Swithin's Church in 1420. In 1479 the Company's
annals have this entry respecting tithes : " Paid to the parson of St. Swythin for our place for a year Vis.
Vnid.," implying that it had now regularly passed into the Company's hands. Herbert, in his History of
the London Livery Companies, has sifted out information regarding this hall, which tells much concerning
its apartments, and the brave feasts held therein on election days and other occasions. The great hall
was strewed with rushes and hung mostly with tapestry, but the upper end, above the dais for the high table,
with blue buckram. It must have been of large dimensions, capable of dining two to three hundred
persons, and here assembled bishop and prior and parson, Lord Mayor and Mayoress, to feast with the
master and wardens and brethren and sisters of the Drapers Company all seated at table in due order of
rank. The sisters had a dining-room of their own, " the ladies' chamber," and there was a " chekker
chamber " laid with mats and set apart for " maydens," but both married and unmarried ladies usually
dined in hall with the brothers of the fraternity. Besides the refectory, there was a large kitchen with its
three fire-places, and there were buttery and pantry, a store-house for cloth, and " a scalding yard " ; also a
court-room, a "great chamber" or livery-room, and parlours hung with tapestry or painted green, and all
contained beneath the shelter of leaded roofs. The Drapers continued to feast and transact their business
here until 1541, when they bought the house in Throgmorton Street which had belonged to Thomas
Cromwell, Earl of Esse.x.
The Earl had suffered attainder under Henry VIII. This estate formed the finest hall that any
City Company had hitherto obtained. It contained, besides the buildings, a large garden at the back.
This garden was still preserved until a few years ago, when the greater part of it was sold and converted
into offices.
The hall, after the Fire, was rebuilt, but a hundred years afterwards, in 1774, it was greatly
damaged by another fire. The present hall was altered and remodelled, with the addition of a screen,
in 1866-70.
In February 1660 General Monk made Drapers' Hall his headquarters. The Company point
to many illustrious members. The Pulteneys, Earls of Bath ; the Capels, Earls of Essex ; the Brydges,
Dukes of Chandos were descended from members of the Drapers Company.
What was said of the Mercers may be repeated of this Company. They administer their great
Trust IncotTie in the endowment of hospitals, schools, and almshouses ; and they have large funds for
purely charitable and philanthropic purposes. Of late the Drapers Company have taken up the cause of
Technical Education ; at the People's Palace they have a Polytechnic attended by thousands of students,
with classes of instruction in all the principal trades.
At the north end of Throgmorton Avenue, near London Wall, is the
Carpenters' Hall.
THE CARPENTERS COMPANY
A brotherhood or guild of carpenters is believed to have existed in London about 1350, but under
what circumstances we have no information. The first charter to the [jresent Company was granted in
1477, 17 Edward IV. This granted to certain freemen of the mystery of carpentry of the City of
London, that they or any of them might establish a brotherhood or guild within the City to remain for
ever, to consist of one master, three wardens, and commonalty of freemen of the mystery of carpentry
abiding in the City of London, and the suburbs and precincts of the same, and of the brethren and sisters
of the freemen of the said mvsterv, and of all others who of their devotion will be of the same brotherhood
144
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
or guild ; and that the same master, wardens, and commonalty should be one body and one commonalty,
incorporated by the name of Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the Mystery of Freemen of the
Carpentry of the City of London.
This charter was exemplified, ratified, and confirmed by Philip and Mary (a Charter of Inspeximus),
and also by Elizabeth ; the latter exemplification being dated 8th November, 2 Elizabeth.
James I., by charter (dated 15th July, 5 James I.), granted to the master, wardens, and commonalty
of the mystery of freemen of the carpentry of the City of London, that they should exercise the powers of
search, correction, and government of all the freemen of the art or mystery of Carpenters of the City,
or using or exercising the said art or mystery within the said City or the suburbs of the same, or within
two miles thereof, together with powers for the inspection of timber, and regulation of matters relating to
the trade.
CARI'E.N'TERs' HALL, LONDON WALL, 1630
Charles I., by charter (dated 17th Jul)-, 16 Charles L), reciting the preceding charters, and that
various frauds and deceptions were practised in the trade, granted to the master, wardens, and
commonalty of the Company, that the master, wardens, and assistants for the time being, to the number
of twelve or more, of which the master and wardens for the time being to be four, being met together upon
summons to be made for that purpose, should have full power and authority to appoint, constitute, and make
ordinances, decrees, and constitutions in writing for the good rule and government of the master, wardens,
and commonalty of the mystery, and of all other persons being free of the art or mystery, or using the
same art or mystery within the City of London, or liberties of the same, and for declaring in what manner
the master, wardens, and commonalty, and all such persons as aforesaid, should behave themselves, and
use the occupation of the said art or mystery.
Charles IL, by charter (dated 20th October, 26 Charles IL), reciting and confirming the preceding
charters, granted, upon the humble petition of the master and wardens of the Company, the oversight and
government of all and singular persons, whether freemen of the said mystery, or using or occupying the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 145
same within the City of London, or within four miles of the same, together with very extensive powers
and privileges for exercising the oversight, search, and measurement- of all and all manner of timber,
timber stuff, and materials, and the works and workmanship thereto within the before-mentioned limits.
In 1666 an Act of Parliament was passed ordering brick building in place of wood, and all carpenters,
etc., not freemen of the City employed in the building were, for the space of seven years, to be allowed
the liberty of working as freemen, and all who should so help for seven years were to enjoy the same
liberty for their lives. In 1693 an Act of Common Council was passed by which all persons carrying
on the trade of carpentry in the City of London were compelled to bind their apprentices to the
Carpenters Company.
The Company is now governed by a master, tliree wardens, and a varying number of assistants.
The livery numbers 15c. The hall in Throgmorton Avenue was built when the old hall at
London Wall was taken down in 1876. The Corporate Income of the Company is ;^i6,ooo and the
Trust Income is ;^ii8o.
GROUP IV
The next group is a triangle, of which Bishopsgate Street and Fenchurch Street
are two sides. It is a part of very considerable interest, though not so full of history
as Cheapside or Thames Street. It contains the great market of Leadenhall Street,
which is itself a continuation of that market which extended eastward from West
Chepe to the Poultry, to Cornhill, to Gracechurch Street or Grass Street, and so to
Leadenhall, the distributing market of London, and from London to the country.
Its financial centre was Lombard Street before the Exchange was built. At two
points it had a City gate ; it had three monastic houses, St. Helen's, The Papey,
and the Holy Trinity ; it has been for three hundred years especially a Jewish
quarter; it had the East India Houses one after the other, and it has within its
borders the most ancient church in the City, that of St. Ethelburga, with three other
churches which were not destroyed by the Fire.
Fenchurch Street. — The origin of the name has been generally accepted
as from a supposed situation in a marsh or fen. According to Stow, "of a fenny or
moorish ground, so made by means of this borne" — " Langborne." We may
admit the fenny ground, but we are not obliged to admit the existence of a stream
here. Maitland, who loves to be precise, says that the stream rose in a place called
Magpie Alley close to St. Katherine Coleman, and ran down Fenchurch Street
and Lombard Street as far as the west end of St. Mary Woolnoth, where it turned
south at Sherborne Lane (whence the name) and divided into many rivulets,
where it fell into the Thames. Now, no trace of any such stream has ever
been found. Moreover, though the levels of the streets have been raised by many
feet, they have been raised in proportion, and if such a stream now ran along
Fenchurch Street, it would run up-hill for half its course. Further, the name
Sherborne does not mean what Maitland thinks at all. Its real meaning may
be found in the Calendar of ]Vills (vol. i. p. 147, and on many other pages).
Langborne appears as Langford in an early list. Somewhere near the end of
Sherborne Lane was the wall, and perhaps the fosse of the Roman citadel. But
Stow, and Maitland after him, call the ward Langborne and Fennie About.
Langborne was one part — that of which Lombard Street is the principal part — and
Fennie About the other, in the marshy ground.
146
THE ANTIQUITIES' OF THE CITY 147
The ward is mentioned in a murder case (Riley's Memorials) in 1 276. Reference
to the parish occurs repeatedly between 1276 and \i\c) {Calendar of Wills). There
are mentioned messuages, rents, tenements, shops, a brew-house, etc., in the parish.
The street is mentioned separately later. In the fourteenth century there are
dwelling-places, tenements, mansion-houses, brew-houses, bake-houses, and shops.
But there are no si^ns of a fen in or about the street. It is sueeested that as
Gracechurch Street is the street of Grass, so Fenchurch Street is Foin-church, the
street of Hay, both streets belonging to the market of hay, grass, and corn. But
Professor Skeat replies to this suggestion : " It is impossible to derive /^« from the
French Join. No French oi becomes e in English. But it might be derived from
the Anglo-French /t'/«, which is the corresponding word to the French /om and had
the same sense. In this case it ought to be possible to find the spelling fciji.
Otherwise fen can only mean fen. Note that the English fen may be spelt also
fenne. But the Anglo-French fein could not take either n or ne at the end of it.
I suspect Stow is right. I see no evidence to the contrary."
Again, writing later, Professor Skeat says: " I think we can get at Fenchurch
now, by help of the history.
" Fen was an extremely common word in Middle English, not merely in the
sense of morass, but in the sense of the modern word nmd. ' Mud' is quite a late
word, but I presume that the thing was known in the City even in the earliest times,
and the name of it was 'fen.' This being so, it is tolerably certain that if the name
originally was anything that could be readily turned into fen, that would soon become
the pronunciation and the ' popular ' etymology.
" If we start from the idea of Hay, we proceed through the Norman form which
was not foin (this could never have given us fen), but feiji or fayn, or fain, pro-
nounced as modern English fain (the nasal n in Norman being of little account
except after the simple vowels a and e). But the corresponding verb 'to cut hay'
was actually ' fener.' The phrase ' Li fain estoient fene ' is quoted from Froissart
in Godefroy's Old French Dictionary, s.v. Fener. And the yurh fener \s still in use
in Burgundy.
"It is easy to see how the word fain could thus be associated with a pro-
nunciation fen, and Englishmen who knew no French (there were plenty of them)
may very well have imagined in their hearts that the reference was to the mud in the
streets. That there zvas mud may be taken for granted. There is some left still.
"There was also a remarkable adjective feneresse, whence the word feneresse,
a female seller of hay. And there was a word fenerie which meant a barn for hay.
And feneron, a hay maker."
Professor Skeat later repeats that if the word for hay is used by itself in London,
it will be in the form of fein-fain. The spelling Fanchurch is especially valuable ; in
fact, it settles it, iorfan may be short {or fain whereas ya« cannot be another form oifen.
148 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
There are extant many ancient deeds connected with this street. Here was a
brew-house called Le George super le Hoop.
Roman remains have been found here, vases, things in bronze, and an
iron candlestick.
At No. 119 Fenchurch Street is a tavern known as the Elephant. It stands
on the site of a house called the Elephant and Castle. In the Great Fire this
house, being built of stone, resisted the flames, and offered shelter to many homeless
people. Is the same thing related of the churches ? They, too, were built of stone.
Why did not they resist the flames .''
Wallace was taken, on his arrival in London as a prisoner, to the house of
William de Leyre in Fenchurch Street.
At the King's Head Tavern, Queen Elizabeth was regaled with pork and peas
on a certain visit to the City.
In Fenchurch Street at present, on the south side, the building numbered 3 and
4, which contains the Castle Mail Packet Company, is well designed, with wide,
deeply-recessed windows enriched by mouldings. The ground-floor is encased in
grey polished granite. Langbourn Chambers is a huge mass of building. Down the
side of the street are various plain brick buildings of different ages interspersed with
modern erections, stone fronted.
The huge building at the west corner of Mark Lane running round into
Fenchurch Street is so covered with stone ornamentation, statues, etc., that the red
brickwork is hardly to be seen. This is the London Tavern, and contains the City
Glee Club. Both Mark and Mincing Lanes abound in great commercial buildings.
Fen Court has an old stuccoed house over the tunnel-like entrance, but in itself is
all composed of flat-windowed expressionless offices. These look down on the
ancient graveyard, a very large space for one of the City churches. It is surrounded
by railings, and divided down the centre by a flagged path. Several flat tombstones
lie in the middle, and one or two altar tombs complete the quiet picture, over which
the leaves of the wych-elms throw shadows. Those who have read Mrs. Riddell's
tragic story George Geith of Fen Court will remember her description of the Court.
Beyond Fen Court is the Spread Eagle Bread Company, a fine old house of the
beginning of the eighteenth century. The gilt eagle spreads its wings in front of a
square red-brick block with antiquated windows, and a general tint of age.
The Ironmongers' Hall, a large building, faces Fenchurch Street.
THE IRONMONGERS COMPANY
The earliest notice of the craft is in 135 1. The first charter incorporating the Company was
granted by Edward IV. in the year 1463, but it appears that a voluntary company or fraternity of
members of the iron trade had existed for many years previous to that date.
There followed an Inspeximus Charter of Philip and Mary, dated June 20, 1558, which
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
149
confirmed the charter of Edward IV. ; Letters Patent of the second year of Queen Elizabeth,
dated November 12, 1560, by which the charter of Edward IV. was further confirmed. James I.,
by Letters Patent dated June 25, 1605, confirmed the privileges and possessions of the Company. He
also, in 1620, confirmed the Company in the possession of certain lands and tenements therein mentioned,
in consideration of ^100 paid to him. James II., by charter dated March 18, 1685, confirmed all their
privileges and granted new and additional privileges, and by Letters Patent, dated November 19, 1688,
he confirmed the last-mentioned charter.
Stow merely mentions the Hall, which occupied the area between Fenchurch and Leadenhall
Streets. It existed in 1494 and was rebuilt in 1587. The present Hall was erected in 1748-50 on the
site of an Elizabethan house which had escaped the Fire.
The number of liverymen varies ; it is now thirty-seven. The Corporate Income is ;^i2,ooo; the
Trust Income is ^11,000.
IKO.N.MO.NGERS 11AI.I. I.N Till; EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
1. Freemen are invited to two dinners yearly, and they, their wives, and children are entitled to the
benefit of the various charities bequeathed for their use by members of the Company or others, particulars
of which are furnished to them on admission to the freedom.
2. Liverymen form the court and receive fees for their attendance on courts and committees for
transacting the business of the Company and the charities. The amount of fees paid to members of the
Company for their attendances at courts and committees during the last ten years averages ;^73S
for each year. No fees are paid out of the trust estates.
3. The master and wardens have no privileges beyond the other liverymen, and no liveryman receives
any money from the charities.
ST. KATHERINE COLEMAN
St. Katherine Coleman stands on the south side of Fenchurch Street, fiirther east. Its second
name is derived from its pro.ximity to a garden, anciently called "Coleman's Haw." In 1489 Sir William
ISO SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
White, Draper and Lord Mayor, enlarged the church ; it was further enlarged in 1620 and a vestry built in
1624. It escaped the Great Fire of 1666, but by the subsequent elevation of Fenchurch Street its
foundations were buried. In 1734 the building was pulled down and the present one erected from the
designs of an architect named Home. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1 346.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Dean and Canons of St. Martin's-le-Grand
since 1346, then the Abbot and Convent of Westminster, 1509; Thomas, Bishop of Westminster, by
grant of Henry VIII., January 20, 1540-41 ; Bishop of London by grant of Edward \T. in 1550, confirmed
by Queen Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in whose successors it continued. The present building is of brick,
with stone dressings. The tower rises at the west.
Sir Henry Billingsley, Lord Mayor of London, was buried here in 1606. A few monuments are
recorded by Strype, but the individuals commemorated are of little note. The finest monument still pre-
served is that to Lady Heigham (d. 1634), wife of Richard Heigham, gentleman pensioner to King
Charles I.
Sir H. Billingsley left ^200 for the poor at his death, but his heirs did not carry out his instructions.
Jacob Lucy was donor of ;^ioo; Thomas Papillon of £i>i. Other names also were recorded on the
Table of Benefactors erected in 16S1. There was a workhouse belonging to the parish.
St. Gabriel, Fenchurch, was situated in the middle of Fenchurch Street between Rood Lane and
Mincing Lane. It was burnt down by the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to St.
Margaret Pattens by Act of Parliament. The earliest date of an incumbent is 132 1.
The patronage of this church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Holy Trinity, 1321-1519 ;
the Crown from 1540 up to 1666, when the church was burnt down and the parish annexed to St.
Margaret Pattens.
Houseling people in 1548 were 200.
For Rood Lane, Mincing Lane, and the otlier streets south of Fenchurch
Street leading to Thames Street, see Group V.
Billiter Street, not, as Stow says, from its first owner Belzetter, but from being
the quarter in which stood the Bell Founders. Agnes, sister of Thomas a Becket,
had land in Bellzetter Lane, parish of St. Michael, Aldgate. The lane is mentioned
in the Calendar of Wills in 1298, and on many occasions afterwards. Strype, in 1720,
calls it a lane of very ordinary account, the houses being very old and of timber
(the place escaped the Fire), the inhabitants being "inconsiderable, as small
brokers, chandlers, and the like." But the chief "ornament" of this place was
Billiter Square, which was then newly built with good brick houses "well inhabited."
Lime Street runs between Fenchurch and Leadenhall Streets.
In 1576 a passage was constructed at the north-east corner of this street;
in the necessary excavation was discovered what Stow calls a "hearth" made of
Roman tiles, every tile half a yard square and two inches thick. It was six feet
under ground, corresponding in depth with Roman remains found on Cornhill.
The passage was duly set up and was standing.
The name of the street occurs in the Calendar of Wills for the year i 298. We
are now approaching that imaginary belt of the City lying between the markets and
Thames Street, in which the merchants and the nobles mostly had their houses.
Stow enumerates a long list of the great houses in Lime Street :
"In Lime Street are divers fair houses for merchants and others ; there was
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 151
sometimes a mansion-house of the kings, called the King's Artirce, whereof I find
record in the 14th of Edward I., but now grown out of knowledge. I read also of
another great house in the west side of Lime Street, having a chapel on the south and
a garden on the west, then belonging to the Lord Nevill, which garden is now called
the Green yard of the Leaden hall. This house, in the 9th of Richard 1 1., pertained to
Sir Simon Burley, and Sir John Burley his brother ; and of late the said house was
taken down, and the forefront thereof new built of timber by Hugh Offley, alderman.
At the north-west corner of Lime Street was of old time one great messuage called
Benbrige's inn; Ralph Holland, draper, about the year 1452 gave it to John Gill,
master, and to the wardens and fraternity of tailors and linen-armourers of St. John
Baptist in London, and to their successors for ever. They did set up in place
thereof a fair large frame of timber, containing in the high street one great house,
and before it to the corner of Lime Street three other tenements, the corner house
being the largest, and then down Lime Street divers proper tenements ; all which
the merchant-tailors, in the reign of Edward VI., sold to Stephen Kirton, merchant-
tailor and alderman : he gave, with his daughter Grisild, to Nicholas Woodroffe the
said great house, with two tenements before it, in lieu of a hundred pounds, and
made it up in money ^366 : 13 :4. This worshipful man, and the gentlewoman his
widow after him, kept those houses down Lime Street in good reparations, never
put out but one tenant, took, no fines, nor raised rents of them, which was ten shillings
the piece yearly : but whether that favour did overlive her funeral, the tenants now
can best declare the contrary.
" Next unto this, on the high street, was the Lord Sowche's messuage or
tenement, and other ; in place whereof, Richard Wethell, merchant-tailor, built a
fair house, with a high tower, the second in number, and first of timber, that ever 1
learnt to have been built to overlook neighbours in this city.
"This Richard, then a young man, became in a short time so tormented with
gouts in his joints, of the hands and legs, that he could neither feed himself nor go
further than he was led ; much less was he able to climb and take the pleasure of the
height of his tower. Then is there another fair house, built by Stephen Kirton,
alderman ; Alderman Lee did then possess it, and again new buildeth it ; but now it
is in the custody of Sir William Craven.
" Then is there a fair house of old time called the Green gate ; by which name
one Michael Pistoy, a Lumbard held it, with a tenement and nine shops in the reign
of Richard II., who in the 15th of his reign gave it to Roger Corphull, and Thomas
Bromester, esquires, by the name of the Green Gate, in the parish of St. Andrew
upon Cornhill, in Lime Street ward ; since the which time Philip Malpas, sometime
alderman, and one of the sheriffs, dwelt therein, and was there robbed and spoiled of
his goods to a great value by Jack Cade, and other rebels, in the year 1449.
"Afterwards, in the reign of Henry VII., it was seised into the King's hands,
152 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
and then granted, first, unto John Alston, after that unto William de la Rivers, and
since by Henry VHI. to John Mutas, a Picarde or Frenchman, who dwelt there,
and harboured in his house many Frenchmen, that kalendred wolsteds, and did
other things contrary to the franchises of the citizens ; wherefore on evil May-day,
which was in the year 151 7, the apprentices and others spoiled his house; and if
they could have found Mutas, they would have stricken off his head. Sir Peter
Mutas, son to the said John Mutas, sold this house to David Woodroffe, alderman,
whose son, Sir Nicholas Woodroffe, alderman, sold it over to John Moore, alderman,
that then possessed it.
" Next is a house called the Leaden porch, lately divided into two tenements ;
whereof one is a tavern, and then one other house for a merchant, likewise called
the leaden Porch, but now turned to a cook's house. Next is a fair house and a
large, wherein divers mayoralties have been kept, whereof twain in my remembrance ;
to wit. Sir William Bowyerand Sir Henry Huberthorne" {Stow' s Survey, pp. 162-163).
In modern Lime Street the first thing that attracts attention is an old iron
gateway leading to a little paved yard where once stood St. Dionis Backchurch.
Laid in a horizontal row are nine tombstones, on which one can look down. A
steep flight of stone steps leads up to the parish offices, and the backs of business
houses surround the court. At No. 15 is the Pewterers' Hall.
THE PEWTERERS COMPANY
The earliest information respecting the Coniijany is found in the records of the City of London,
22 Edward III., a.d. 1348, when the mayor and aldermen are prayed by the good folk of the trade to hear
the state and points of the trade, to provide redress and amendment of the defaults thereof for the common
profit, and to ordain two or three of the trade to oversee the alloys and workmanship.
In the year 1443 (22 Henry VI.), in consequence of the complaints of "the multitude of tin which
was untrue and deceyvable brought to the City, the defaults not being perceptible until it comes to the
melting," the mayor and aldermen granted to the Company the right to search and assay all the tin which
was brought into the City of London.
Edward IV. (1473-74) incorporated the Company by royal charter.
This power was recognised and confirmed by charters granted successively by Henry VIII., Philip
and Mary, Queen Elizabeth, James I., and Queen Anne.
An .Act of Parliament confirming the Company's powers to search for bad wares was passed in 1503-
1504, 19 Henry VII. c. 6., confirmed by other Acts, 4 Henry VIII. c. 7., 1512-13; 25 Henry \'III.
c- 9-1 1533-34; aid a statute 33 Henry VIII. c. 4., 1541-42, prohibited the hawking of pewter.
The maintenance of the good faith of the trade appears to have been one of the primary considera-
tions in the proceedings of the Company.
In 1555 it was resolved that any member buying metal of tylors, labourers, boys, women, or
suspected persons, or between six at night and six in the morning, if the metal should prove to have been
stolen, should not only be dismissed the Company, but stand to such punishment as the Lord Mayor and
aldermen might direct.
The Company appear to have furnished a certain number of men with arms for the defence of the
City, and to have kept at the Hall equipments for them — calyvers, corslets, bills, pikes, etc. — and to have
appointed an armourer to preserve them in good condition.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 153
The Company used to cast into bars such tin as was to be transported out of the reahn, whereby the
poor of the Company were wont to provide for part of their hving ; but after these bars were made by
strangers beyond the sea, the poor were greatly " hindered." A petition was presented to Queen Elizabeth
in 1594, and after a delay of four years Letters Patent were granted to the Company, giving permission for
a small charge to be made on the smelting and casting of bars of tin.
The fellowship of the craft and mystery of Pewterers of London and elsewhere represented, before
Henry VIIL's reign, one of the best handicrafts within the realm.
The master and wardens appear at the commencement of the seventeenth century to have exercised
the right to nominate the casters of tin in London, and the Company received a small royalty on the
casting, which was distributed to the poor of the Company. They also appear to have had from the
Council of the Revenue of the Prince of Wales an allotment of certain proportions of the tin produced in
Cornwall, and to have derived some profit from the privilege. In fact, the pewter trade in London was
supplied with tin from Cornwall through the Company, and frequent disputations are recorded between
the Company and the Prince's Council as to the rate, which was sometimes said to be so high that the
poor of the Company could not live thereby.
At a later period the Company, in order to prevent the public from imposition, and to sustain the
credit of the pewterers' trade, appointed the standard assays of the various wares and the weight of
metal for each article.
The Hall stands upon a piece of ground presented to the Company by W. Smallwood, Master, 1487".
The first building was destroyed in the Great Fire and the i)resent one is that which replaced it.
The Company now have a livery of 103; a Corporate Income of;^54oo; and a Trust Income of^233.
The Ordinances of the Pewterers were submitted to the mayor and aldermen in 1348. They may
be found in Riley (A/eworui/s, 241). They contain clauses similar to those in the ordinances of other
trades, including the power of appointing overseers of their own body. Two years later we find a Pewterer
named John de Hiltone brought before the mayor on the charge of making " false " salt-cellars and
"potels." The " false " vessels were forfeited. The use of pewter for domestic purposes was universal.
Dishes, plates, basins, drinking cups, measures were all made of pewter. There are luncheon-rooms in the
City at the present day where steaks and chops are served on pewter : at Lincoln's Inn the dishes are still
of pewter ; in the last century children and servants took their meals off pewter. These facts explain the
flourishing condition of the Company and its large income.
St. Dionis Backchurch was situated at the south-west corner of Lime Street behind Fenchurch
Street, from which position it probably derived its name of Backchurch. It was burnt down by the Great
Fire, and rebuilt by Wren in 1674, and the steeple added in 1684. In 1878 this building was pulled
down by an Order in Council. Part of the money obtained from the site was given to the foundation of a
new church of St. Dionis at Parsons Green erected in 1885. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1288.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: In 1248, the Prior and Chapter of Christ Church,
Canterbury ; then the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury 1552, in whose successors it continued up to 1878,
when the church was demolished and the parish annexed to AUhallows, Lombard Street.
Houseling people in 1548 were 405.
Chantries were founded here: By John Carby, Alderman of London, whose endowment fetched ^^13
in 1548, when James Servaunt was priest; by Maude Bromeholmc, whose endowment yielded ^5:7:4
in 1548 ; by John Wrotham, whose endowment was ^^15 : 7 : 4, when Nicholas Metcalfe was chaplain.
The church originally contained a considerable number of monuments, the most notable of which
were in memory of John Hewet of the Clothworkers Company and benefactor of the parish ; Sir Robert
Jefifreys, Knt., Alderman and Lord Mayor of the City, who died in 1703; and Edward Tyson, M.D.
Some of the donors of charitable gifts were : Dame Elizabeth Clark, ^^30 ; Robert Williams, ^25,
towards a bell ; James Church, ^10. Many others gave various fittings for the church.
Lionel Gatford (d. 1665), Archdeacon of St. Alban's, was rector here ; also Nathanial Hardy (1618-
1670), Dean of Rochester.
154
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Leadenhall Street was so named after the Leadenhall, i.e. the hall covered
with lead, which stood at the corner of that street and Gracechurch Street. An early
reference to the place is found in the Calendar of Wills in the year 1296, when certain
" rents near la Ledenhalle in Gracechurch Street" are mentioned. The next reference
^SQim£>^
A REMARKABLE OLD HOUSE IN I.EADp;N II AI.I. STREET
From a drawing by S. Rau-Ie. Published Januarj- 1801.
does not occur till the year 1369. But in Riley's Memorials, we are told that on the
eve of St. John the Baptist, June 24, the mayor delivered to the chamberlain "one silver
mark arising from a certain small garden annexed to Leden Hall, which mark was
taken ... for completing the pavement belonging to the Court of Leaden Hall."
Riley gives a very brief history of the place :
"At the beginning of the 14th century, it was occasionally used as a Court
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
155
of Justice ; see the MS. Liber de Antiqu. Legibus, at Guildhall, fol. 61. In
October, 1326, after the flight of Edward II., the Commons of London met there,
when making terms with the Constable of the Tower" (Riley, Alcniorials, p. 138).
Stow gives a long account of the various hands through which the inaiior of
Leadenhall passed, confusing the hall with the manor on which it was built. In the
year 141 1, according to Stow, the manor came into possession of the City.
"Then in the year 1443, the 21st of Henry VI., John Hatherley, mayor,
purchased licence of the said king to take up two hundred fodder of lead, for the
building of water conduits, a common granary, and the cross in West Chepe, more
itrtjuii i'y /A.'j. //. .SAr/Zi.
I.EAIJENIIAI.I. STREET
richly, for the honour of the City. In the year next following, the parson and parish
of St. Dunstan, in the east of London, seeing the famous and mighty man (for the
words be in the grant, nobilis ct potens vir), Simon Eyre, citizen of London, among
other his works of piety, effectually determined to erect and build a certain granary
upon the soil of the same city at Leadenhall, of his own charges, for the common
utility of the said city, to the amplifying and enlarging of the said granary, granted
to Henry Frowicke, then mayor, the aldermen and commonalty, and their successors
for ever, all their tenements, with the appurtenances, sometime called the Horsemili,
in Grasse Street, for the annual rent of four pounds, etc. Also, certain evidences
of an alley and tenements pertaining to the Horsemili adjoining to the said Leaden
156 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
hall in Grasse Street, given by William Kingstone, fishmonger, unto the parish
church of St. Peter upon Cornehill, do specify the said granary to be built by the
said honourable and famous merchant, Simon Eyre, sometime an upholsterer, and
then a draper, in the year 1419. He built it of squared stone, in form as now it
showeth, with a fair and large chapel in the east side of the quadrant, over the porch
of which he caused to be written, Dextra Domini cxaltavit me (The Lord's right
hand exalted me). Within the said church on the north wall, was written, Honorandus
famosus mercator Simon Eyre kujus opcris, etc. In English thus: 'The honour-
able and famous merchant, Simon Eyre, founder of this work, once mayor of this
City, citizen and draper of the same, departed out of this life, the iSth day of
September, the year from the incarnation of Christ 1459, and the 38th year of the
reign of King Henry VL'" (Stow's Survey, p. 162).
Before the middle of the fourteenth century Leadenhall had become a market
for poultry. In 1345 it was ordered that strange folk, i.e. people from outside the
City, bringing poultry for sale should no longer hawk it about from house to house,
but should take it to the Leaden Hall, and should there sell it, and nowhere else.
Also that citizens who sell poultry should ofter it on the west side of the Tun of
Cornhill (Riley, pp. 220, 221).
The market was not, however, confined to the sale of poultry, as is proved by
the following request of the commons of the City, in the year 1503 :
" Please it, the lord mayor, aldermen and common council, to enact, that all
Frenchmen bringing canvass, linen cloth, and other wares to be sold, and all
foreigners bringing wolsteds, sayes, Stamins, Kiverings, nails, iron work, or any
other wares, and also all manner of foreigners bringing lead to the city to be sold,
shall bring all such their wares aforesaid to the open market of the Leaden Hall,
there and no where else to be sold and uttered, like as of old time it hath been used,
upon pain of forfeiture of all the said wares showed or sold in any other place than
aforesaid ; the show of the said wares to be made three days in the week, that
is to say, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday ; it is also thought reasonable that
the common beam be kept henceforth in the Leaden Hall, and the farmer to pay
therefore reasonable rent to the chamber ; for better it is that the chamber have
advantage thereby than a foreign person ; and also the said Leaden Hall, which
is more chargeable now by half than profitable, shall better bear out the charges
thereof; also the common beam for wool at Leaden Hall, may yearly pay a rent
to the chamber of London, toward supportation and charges of the same place ; for
reason it is, that a common office, occupied upon a common ground, bear a charge
to the use of the commonalty ; also, that foreigners bringing wools, felts, or any
other merchandises or wares to Leaden Hall, to be kept there for the sale and
market, may pay more largely for the keeping of their goods than free men " (Stow's
Survey, p. 164).
SKIN MARKET, LEADENIIAI.T , 1S25
158 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
A granary was kept at Leaden Hall, the use of which depended entirely on
the forethought of the mayor. Thus, in 151 2, Roger Acheley, the mayor, found
that there were not one hundred quarters of wheat in all the garners of the City.
He took immediate steps, and not only imported wheat for present necessities, but also
filled the granaries of the City. Stow adds a note as to the activity of the mayor :
" He kept the market so well, that he would be at the Leaden Hall by four o'clock
in the summer mornings ; and thence he went to other markets, to the great comfort
of the citizens."
In 1529 a petition was presented by the Commons to the Common Council on
the uses to which Leaden Hall might be put. It should not be let out to farm to
any person or to any Company incorporate for any time of years, and they pro-
ceeded to give their reasons.
About the year 1534 an effort was made to convert Leadenhall into a Bur.se.
This failed, and the Burse continued to be held in Lombard Street until the building
of the Royal Exchange. This is interesting, because it shows that Gresham was
not alone in desiring to have a convenient building for the meeting of the merchants.
"The use of Leaden Hall in my youth (says Stow) was thus: — In a part of
the north quadrant, on the east side of the north gate, were the common beams for
weighing of wool and other wares, as had been accustomed ; on the west side of the
gate were the scales to weigh meal ; the other three sides were reserved for the most
part to the making and resting of the pageants showed at Midsummer in the watch ;
the remnant of the sides and quadrants was employed for the stowage of wool
sacks, but not closed up ; the lofts above were partly used by the painters in working
for the decking of pageants and other devices, for beautifying of the watch and
watch-men ; the residue of the lofts were letten out to merchants, the wool winders
and packers therein to wind and pack their wools " (p. 166).
The market in 1754 is thus described by Strype :
" Leadenhall is a very large building of Free-stone, containing within it three
large Courts or Yards, all encompassed with buildings, wherein is kept a market, one
of the greatest, the best, and the most general for all provisions in the City of
London, nay of the Kingdom ; and, if I should say of all Europe, I should not give
it too great a praise. The building hath flat battlements leaded at the top ; and,
for the conveniency of People's coming to this great market, which is kept every day
of the week, except Sundays, for one thing or the other, besides the principal entrance
out of Leadenhall Street, there are two or three others, one out of Lime Street, and
the rest out of Gracechurch Street.
" Of the three Courts or Yards that it consists of, the first is that at the north-east
corner of Gracechurch Street, and opens into Leadenhall Street ; this court or yard
contains, in length, from north to south, one hundred and sixty-four feet, and, in breadth,
from east to west, eighty feet ; within this court or yard, round about the same.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 159
are about one hundred standing stalls for butchers for the selling only of beef, and
therefore this court is called the Beef Market, many of which stalls are eight, ten,
or twelve feet long, and four, five, or six feet broad, with racks, hooks, blocks,
and all other conveniences for the sale of their meat : All which stalls are either under
warehouses above head, or sheltered from the weather by roofs over them. This
yard is, on Tuesdays, a market for leather, to which the tanners do resort. On
Thursdays the waggons from Colchester, and other parts, come with Baiz, etc.,
and also the Felmongers with their wool ; and on Fridays it is a market for raw
hides, besides Saturdays for Beef, as also other provisions.
"The second market-yard is called the Green yard, as being once a green Plat
of Ground. Afterwards it was the City's Store-yard for Materials for building,
and the like, but now a market only for veal, mutton, lamb, etc. This yard is one
hundred and seventy feet in length, from east to west, and ninety feet broad from
north to south : It hath in it one hundred and forty stalls for the butchers, all
covered over, and of the bigness of those in the beef-market. In the middle of
this Green yard Market, north to south, is a row of shops, with kitchens, or rooms
over them, for fishmongers ; and, also, on the south side and west end, are houses
and shops also for fishmongers. Towards the east end of this yard is erected a
fair market-house, standing upon columns, with vaults underneath, and rooms above,
with a bell-tower and a clock, and under it are butchers' stalls. The tenements
round about this yard are, for the most part, inhabited by cooks, victuallers, and
such-like ; and, in the passages leading out of the streets, into this market, are
fishmongers, poulterers, cheesemongers, and such-like traders for provision.
"The third market belonging to Leadenhall is called the Herb Market, for that
herbs, roots, fruits, etc., are only there sold. This market is about one hundred and
forty feet square ; the west, east, and south sides have walks round them, covered
over for shelter, and standing upon columns ; in which walks there are twenty-eight
stalls for gardeners, with cellars under them. There is also, in this yard, one range
of stalls covered over for such as sell tripe, neats-feet, sheeps-trotters, etc., and, on
the south side, the tenements are taken up by Victuallers, Cheesemongers, Butchers,
Poulterers, and such-like.
" The rooms in the stone building about the beef-market, which is properly
Leadenhall, are employed for several uses, as the west side was wholly used for the
stowage of wares belonging to the East- India Company ; on the east side is the
meal-warehouse and the Wool-hall ; on the south end is the Colchester Baiz-hall,
and at the north end is the warehouse for the sealing of leather.
"The general conflagration of this city, in 1666, terminated in that part of the
City near adjoining to this hall ; all the houses about it, and within the yards
belonging to it, being destroyed, there did, of this fabric, only remain the stonework ;
since which, the Courts and yards belonging to this building, and some other adjacent
i6o
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
grounds purchased by the City, are wholly converted into a market for the City's
use ; the place for the reception of Country butchers, and others who brought
provisions before to the City, being then only in Leadenhall Street, between
Gracechurch Street and Lime Street, which was very incommodious to the market
people, as well as to the passengers."
Leadenhall Market is in four rays of varying lengths ; the longest is about
80 feet, the shortest about 30. These are covered in by a wide arched roof of glass.
LEADENHALL CllAl'EL IN lSl2
supported by girders, and are about 30 feet wide. At each entrance there is a similar
design. On either side a couple of massive fluted columns are surmounted by
griffins, which support the arch. These are decorated with gilt. Over the entry is
an arch of great height, with a stone relief, and on the frieze below the words
"Leadenhall Market." The market was built in 18S1, designed by Sir Horace
Jones, and is occupied to a very great extent by poulterers and butchers. There are
roughly about fifty holdings and two taverns, the Lamb and the Half Moon.
There was a chapel in the market, to which was attached a Fraternity of the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
i6i
Trinity of sixty priests, with otiier brethren and sisters, in which service was
celebrated every day.
The chapel was taken down in 1812 (see Mediccval London, vol. ii. p. m).
In Leadenhall Street have been found Roman remains, a pavement, pottery, etc.
A crypt existed under the house 153 Leadenhall Street until 1896, when it was
destroyed.
" Under the corner house of Leadenhall and Bishopsgate Streets, and two
houses on the east, and one on the north, side thereof, was situate a very ancient
church of Gothic construction, the principal part of which is still remaining under
CRYPT IN I.EAnF.NHAI.1. STREET, 1825
the said corner house, and two adjoining in Leadenhall Street ; but part of the north
aisle beneath the house contiguous in Bishopsgate Street, was lately obliged to make
way to enlarge the cellar. When or by whom this old church was founded I cannot
learn, it not being so much as mentioned by any of our historians or surveyors of
London that I can discover.
" Some other ancient architectural remains, perhaps originally connected with
the former, were also found under the houses extending up the eastern site of
Bishopsgate Street. The description of their situation, given by Maitland, fixes their
locality to the side of the very house at which the fire of 1765 commenced; and
which appears to have continued until that time in the same kind of occupation as it
i62 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
was when the ensuing account of these ruins was written. 'At the distance of 12
feet from this church,' — namely the remains already noticed at the north-east corner
of Leadenhall Street — 'is to be seen, under the house at the late Mr. Macadam's, a
peruke-maker in Bishopsgate Street, a stone building of the length of 30 feet, breadth
of 14, and altitude of 8 feet 6 inches above the present floor; with a door in the
north-side, and a window at the east end, as there probably was one in the west.
It is covered with a semi-circular arch, built with small piers of chalk in the form of
bricks, and ribbed with stone, resembling those of the arches of a bridge. What
this edifice at first was appropriated to is very uncertain ; though, by the manner of
its construction, it seems to have been a chapel ; but the ground having been since
raised on all sides, it was probably converted into a subterraneous repository for
merchandise ; for a pair of stone stairs, with a descending arch over them, seems to
have been erected since the fabric was built ' " (Wilkinson, Londina Ilhistratd).
The most important house in the street next to the Leadenhall itself was the
East India House, which stood near to the Hall. The Company first met, according
to tradition, at the Nag's Head Tavern, Bishopsgate ; they then had a house in
Leadenhall Street; they took on lease in 1701 — perhaps it was their first house —
Sir William Craven's large house in Leadenhall Street, with a tenement in Lime
Street. This is probably the house pictured in a print in the British Museum.
In 1726 the "Old" East India House was built, of which several parts were
retained in the new buildings of 1799.
Hardly any part of the City, unless it be the south of Cornhill, is so honeycombed
with courts and passages as the quarter upon which we are now engaged. For the
most part they are not distinguished by any historical associations. Some of them
formerly contained taverns and inns. The courts are greatly diminished in size;
some of them were narrow lanes with houses standing face to face, a few feet apart ;
some of them formerly contained gentlemen's houses. Why were these houses
built in a court ? The explanation is easy. The town-house of noble or merchant
was built like a college : a gateway with a chamber over it in front, rooms beside the
gate in case of a nobleman with a retinue ; in other cases a wall enclosing a garden in
a square, on either side rooms, at the back the Hall and what we call reception
rooms, with the private rooms of the family. When land became more valuable
the rooms beside the gateway became shops, then there was building at the back
of the shops, the sides became contracted, and there were left at last only the
court, the gateway, and the house beyond. There are several places in the City
where this history of a house may be traced, the modern offices being built on
the site of the old foundation, the gateway having disappeared, and the court still
remaining.
"Anno 1136. A very great fire happened in the City, which began in the
house of one Ailward, near London Stone, and consumed all the way east to
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 163
Aldgate, and west to St. Erkenwald's shrine in St. Paul's Cathedral, both
which it destroyed, together with London Bridge, which was then constructed
of wood.
" It is reasonable to conjecture, that the accumulation of ruins these extensive
fires occasioned left the distressed inhabitants little choice in their determination ;
and as it would have caused infinite trouble and inconvenience to have cleared and
removed the same, they wisely preferred sacrificing a few (to them) useless buildings,
raised and levelled the ground, and began a foundation for new dwellings on the
site of the roofs of some of their remaining habitations. The amazing descent to
the banks of the Thames from several parts of the City confirms the opinion that
most of the buildings denominated crypts, oratories, or undercrofts, were, in their
pristine states, level in their foundations with the dwelling-places of their original
builders. What greatly adds to the probability is the circumstance of our being
informed that near Belzeter's Lane (Billiter Lane) and Lime Street, three new
houses being to be built, in the year 1590, in a place where was a large garden plot
enclosed from the street by a high brick wall, upon taking down the said wall and
digging for cellarage, another wall of stone was found directly under the brick wall
with an arched gateway of stone, and gates of timber to be closed in the midst
towards the street. The timber of the gates was consumed, but the hinges of iron
were then remaining on their staples on both sides : moreover, in that wall were
square windows with bars of iron on each side this gate. The wall was above two
fathoms deep under the ground, supposed to be the remains of those great fires
before mentioned. Again, we learn, on the east side of Lime Street opening into
Fenchurch Street, on that site, after the fire of 1666, Sir Thomas Cullum built
thirty houses, and that a short time previous to 1757, the cellar of one of the houses
giving way, there was discovered an arched room, ten feet square and eight feet
deep, with several arched doors round it stopped up with earth " (Wilkinson,
Londina Illustrata, vol. ii. p. 43).
In 1660 the mayor. Sir Thomas Allen, resided in Leadenhall Street and
entertained Monk. At the corner of St. Mary Axe stood, in the fifteeoth century,
the town-house of the De Veres, Earls of Oxford.
Gibbon's great-grandfather, one of the last of the younger sons of county
families who came to London and went into trade, had his shop as a draper in
Leadenhall Street.
In this street Peter Anthony Motteux, translator of Don Ouixole, kept an
"East India" shop. He was a Huguenot, and could speak and understand many
languages. He was also employed as a linguist at the Post Office. In addition to
his shop and his office, he worked as a poet and man of letters generally ; being the
author of plays, prologues, and epilogues. He is best known by his completion of
Urquhart's Translation of Rabelais. He was a loose liver, and died in a disorderly
i64 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
house in St. Clement Danes. Like the lady of Pere la Chaise, " Resigned unto the
Heavenly Will, His wife kept on the business still."
ST. KATHERINE CREE
St. Katherine Cree, in Leadenhall Street, is on tlie site of the cemetery of the Priory of Holy Trinity,
whence it derives its name Creechurch or Christchurch. This priory is said to have been built in the
same place where Siredus sometime began to erect a church in honour of the Cross and of St. Mary
Magdalen. This ancient church contributed thirty shillings to the Dean and Chapter of Waltham. The
abbey church here is also dedicated to the Holy Cross, and when Matilda founded Christ Church or
Trinity she gave to the Church of Waltham a mill instead of this payment. But little is known of the
building of Siredus ; but Matilda's Priory is said to have occupied parts of the parishes of St. Mary
Magdalen, St. Michael, St. Katherine, and the Blessed Trinity, which now was made but one parish of
the Holy Trinity, and was in old time of the Holy Cross or Holy Rood parish. At this time, therefore
(1108), the old parish of the Holy Rood had disappeared, and four parishes appear on its site. In the
perambulation of the old soke of the Priory we find the parishes of Coleman Church (St. Katherine),
St. Michael, St. Andrew (Undershaft), and of the Trinity (now St. James's, Duke's Place), but St. Mary
Magdalen and Holy Rood are not mentioned. This loss of St. Mary Magdalen is not easily explained.
Could the Church of St. Andrew have been dedicated formerly to St. Mary Magdalen ? Such changes in
dedication are known, and, even in this ward or soke, Stow tells us that St. Katherine Coleman was called
St. Katherine and All Saints.
This would make up all the parishes which are given at the several periods in this locality. The
existence of St. Katherine Coleman and St. Katherine Cree as two distinct parishes adjoining is
remarkable. The parish of St. Katherine Coleman belonged to the ancient establishment of St. Martin's-le-
Grand, and so remained until the Dissolution. Was it a part of this parish which was taken into the
precinct of the Trinity ? The inhabitants of the enclosed parish of Cree Church at first used the Priory
church, but it was agreed afterwards that they should have a church erected, and use the Priory church only
at certain times. This would be what we might expect of a part of a parish detached at the establishment
of the Priory, but which desired to be released from the control of the prior, and to be a parish of itself,
with its own church. We must not confound the parish of St. Mary Magdalen with a small parish of
St. Mary the Virgin, St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. This was on the west side of St. Mary Axe, and
belonged to the Priory of St. Helen. The church was destroyed, and the parish united, by Edmund
Grindal, Bishop of London, to St. Andrew, Undershaft, in the year 1561.
The parishioners had been allowed to worship at an altar in the Priory church, but this being
inconvenient, St. Katherine's w-as built through the agency of Richard de Gravesend, Bishop of London,
1 280-1 303. It was rebuilt in 162 8- 1630, possibly after the design of Inigo Jones. The steeple, which
was built in the early sixteenth century, is still standing. The church was consecrated by Laud in
1631. In 1S74 the parish of St. James's, Duke's Place, was annexed. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1436.
The patronage of which was in the hands of the Prior and Canons of Holy Trinity, London.
Henry VIII. seized it in 1540, and soon after granted it to Sir Thomas Audley, who gave it, by his
will dated April 19, 1544, to the Master and Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in whose
successors it continued.
Houseling people in 154S were 542.
The church is a mixture of the Gothic and classical styles. It contains two narrow aisles separated from
the nave by Corinthian columns and round arches, above which is a clerestory. The roof is groined, and
the arms of the City and several City Companies are displayed on it. The building is 94 feet long, 5 1 feet
broad, and 37 feet high. It is larger than the original church, of which the sole relic now existing is a pillar
at the south-west, less than three feet above ground, owing to the higher level of the new church. The
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 165
stone steeple rises at the west and consists of a tower surmounted by a Tuscan colonnade with a cupola
and vane; its total height is 75 feet.
A chantry was founded here at the Altar of St. Michael.
The church is not rich in historical monuments. It contains, however, the tomb of Nicholas
Throckmorton, Chief Butler of England and intimate friend of Lady Jane Grey and Queen Elizabeth.
Tradition said that Hans Holbein was buried here, but there is no evidence for it except that he
died in the vicinity.
There is a brass in the floor in front of the communion table, commemorating Sir John Gayer,
Lord Mayor in 1646 and staunch adherent of Charles L, for which he suffered imprisonment.
At the west end there is a bas-relief to Samuel Thorpe (died 1791) : this is only interesting as being
the work of the elder Bacon.
Sir John Gayer bequeathed j£2oo for charitable purposes, amongst them a fee for a sermon to be
preached on October 16 annually, and though the charity is now diverted, yet the "Lion sermon," in com-
memoration of the donor's delivery from a lion in Arabia, is still kept up.
There was a charity school at the end of Cree Church Lane, in which forty boys were clothed
and taught, by subscriptions from the inhabitants of the ward.
Roger Maynwaring (1590-1653), Bishop of St. David's, was a perpetual curate here; also Nicholas
Brady (1659-1726), joint author of Tate and Brady's version of the Psalter.
The north of Leadenhall Street between St. Katherine Cree and Aldgate, from
the year 11 30 and the suppression of the Religious Houses, was covered with the
buildings of the Priory of the Holy Trinity already described (see Medieeval
London, vol. ii. p. 241).
The buildings of the Priory were given by the King to Sir Thomas Audley in
1 53 1 after the surrender.
The Earl of Suffolk, son of the Duke who was beheaded in 1572, sold the
house and precinct to the City of London, and built Audley End in Essex. The
City seems to have pulled down the mansion and laid out the grounds in streets and
courts. The disposition of these seems to preserve, to a certain extent, that of the
old Priory.
When the people began to settle in the precinct, they found themselves,
although so close to St. Katherine Cree, without a parish church. They therefore
petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury, who obtained permission of the King to
build a new church here, and to erect a new parish. The church was finished and
dedicated to St. James in 1622. The memory of the consecration is described at
length by Strype. This quarter was assigned to the Jews by Oliver Cromwell in
1650. Here is the Great Synagogue of the German Jews.
St. James's was one of the most notorious of the many places for irregular
marriages, those without licence, because as standing in the ancient precinct of
the Priory it was without the jurisdiction of the bishop.
St. James's, Duke's Place, escaped the Great lire of 1666.
In 1S73 the church was pulled down and its parish united with that of St. Katherine Cree
Church. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1622.
This church was in the gift of the Lord Mayor and Commonalty of London from 1622.
i66 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Few monuments, and none of much note, are recorded by Stow. Booker, an astrologer, was
commemorated by a stone inscription.
Sir Edward Barkham is the only benefactor whose name is recorded by Stow.
The modern Leadenhall Street is at the west end full of fine, well-executed
Chambers. Of these, New Zealand Chambers are the most noticeable. The
building is by R. Norman Shaw in the pseudo-ancient style. It was erected in 187.2,
and is carried out in red brick. The bayed windows on either side of the entrance
are placed in wide recesses whicli run right up the frontage. Africa House is in
a commonplace style, but has rather good stone panels on the front. On the north
Leadenhall House is solidly faced in granite, with granite columns on the frontage.
West India House is neatly built in white stone.
Farther eastward the street is singularly dull ; it is lined at first by dreary
blocks of imitation stone buildings. These are succeeded by brick buildings all
turned out of the same mould. The north side is better than the south, and is
chiefly made up of solid, well-built houses on various designs.
At No. 153 the ground-floor is occupied by a bric-a-brac shop. Below the
parapet there is a curious triangular pediment let into the brickwork. This encloses
a round stone with an inscription on it, of which the first word seems to be
" incendio " ; on either side is a small shelf.
The London Joint Stock Bank is a few doors off^ No. 140, an Aerated Bread
Shop, is fantastically built, in imitation of an old style. The Peninsular & Oriental
Steamship Company is in a stone and terra-cotta building, with well-designed figures
in slight relief in the corners of the windows.
Aldgate, spelt otherwise Alegate or Algate, was probably, but not certainly,
opened and constructed by Queen Matilda, Consort of Henry I., who is also said
to have built the bridge over the Lea at Bow. There seems no reason for doubting
the story.
On the spelling of the name Professor Skeat writes, September 18, 1897 •
"It occurs to me to say that in any case of interpreting spellings, the date of
the spelling is of the greatest service. We now know the meanings of all the vowel
symbols at all dates. If we can obtain a few early spellings of Aldgate, with
appro.ximate dates, we ought to be able to decide it. We have to remember that
all, in composition meant ' wholly,' and was adverbial as in Al-mighty, and ' wholly
gate' gives no sense. If ' for all ' were intended, it would be alra, aller, or alder, the
genitive of plural. This is not a question of etymology but of grammar. On the
other hand, if the M.E. Aid [now spelt Old] were meant, I have proof that a
Norman scribe would be apt to omit the d ; so that Alegate would, in fact, be quite
regular. And it would not necessarily become Oldgate in course of time ; just as
Acton, though it means Oaktown, is called Acton still. This is due to what we call
the preservation of a short or shortened vowel, owing to stress."
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 167
And again, writing on 21st September, he says :
"The Hst of spellings which you send me is most interesting, but it is not easy
to explain it. 1 can remember a time when I should have drawn the conclusion that
they are very m.uch against connecting the word with the Old Mercian aid, which
we now spell old. But my recent investigations tell the other way ; not only
were perfectly common words persistently (but regularly) mis-spelt in Domesday
and early charters, from the time of the Conquest till about 1350, but in many
instances (as would likely be the case in official documents) such habits became
stereotyped. The early scribes were nearly all Norman, and they brought in Norman
spelling to that extent that the whole of modern English is pervaded by it ; indeed,
no one who does not know the phonetic laws of Anglo-French can explain why the
word house is spelt with ou, or the word build with ui. . . . The explanation of the
spelling Aid in 1270 is probably simply this : that this particular charter (contrary to
practice) was entrusted to an English scribe. It is a simple supposition— English
spellings began to prevail in these matters in the period from 1350- 1400, and it is
just here that we get two instances. The Normans learnt Latin easily : to an
English scribe it was a foreign language. This is why the French scribes were
preferred for writing Latin documents. After 1400 such French spellings as affect
the true sound are rare ; this is why, after that the E. form prevails. But we must
remember that many Englishmen do not fully pronounce the din Aldgate even now,
but slur it over; and in days of phonetic spelling such things were reproduced.
I should say the evidence can only be explained, on the whole, from the supposition
that the English word was Aid, preserved in composition instead of being turned
into old (as it did when standing alone) ; and this will explain eald sX's.o, as eald is
the Wessex form of Aid, adopted in 1598 as a mere bit of pedantry, but at the same
time showing that the belief then prevailed. This is all I have to say about
Aldgate."
The gate was rebuilt by Norman, first Prior of Holy Trinity. The weigh-
house for weighing corn was in the gateway.
After the Fire, Aldgate was used for the prisoners who had been confined in the
Poultry Compter.
In 1374 the gate was let on lease to Geoffrey Chaucer. Here followeth the
lease itself :
" To all persons to whom this present writing indented shall come, Adam de
Bury, Mayor, the Aldermen, and the Commonalty of the City of London, greeting.
Know ye that we, with unanimous will and assent, have granted and released by
these presents unto Geoffrey Chaucer the whole of the dwelling-house above the gate
of Algate, with the rooms built over, and a certain cellar beneath, the same gate, on
the South side of that gate, and the appurtenances thereof; to have and to hold the
whole of the house aforesaid, with the rooms so built over, and the said cellar, and
i68 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
the appurtenances thereof, unto the aforesaid Geoffrey, for the whole hfe of him, the
said Geoffrey. And the said Geoffrey shall maintain and repair the whole of the
house aforesaid, and the rooms thereof, so often as shall be requisite, in all things
necessary thereto, competently and sufficiently, at the expense of the same Geoffrey,
throughout the whole life of him, the same Geoffrey. And it shall be lawful for the
Chamberlain of the Guildhall of London, for the time being, so often as he shall see
fit, to enter the house and rooms aforesaid, with their appurtenances, to see that the
same are well and competently, and sufficiently, maintained and repaired, as aforesaid.
And if the said Geoffrey shall not have maintained or repaired the aforesaid house
and rooms competently and sufficiently, as is before stated, within forty days after
the time when by the same Chamberlain he shall have been required so to do, it
shall be lawful for the said Chamberlain wholly to oust the before-named Geoffrey
therefrom, and to re-seise and resume the same house, rooms, and cellar, with their
appurtenances, into the hand of the City, to the use of the Commonalty aforesaid ;
and to hold the same in their former state to the use of the same Commonalty,
without any gainsaying whatsoever thereof. And it shall not be lawful for the said
Geoffrey to let the house, rooms, and cellar, aforesaid, or any part thereof, or his
interest therein, to any person whatsoever. And we, the Mayor, Aldermen, and
Commonalty aforesaid, will not cause any gaol to be made thereof, for the safe-
keeping of prisoners therein, during the life of the said Geoffrey ; but we and our
successors will warrant the same house, rooms, and cellar, with their appurtenances,
unto the before-named Geoffrey, for the whole life of him, the same Geoffrey, in
form aforesaid : this however excepted, that in time of defence of the city aforesaid,
so often as it shall be necessary, it shall be lawful for us and our successors to enter
the said house and rooms, and to order and dispose of the same, for such time, and
in such manner, as shall then seem to us to be most expedient. And after the decease
of the same Geoffrey, the house, rooms, and cellar aforesaid, with their appurtenances,,
shall wholly revert unto us and our successors. In witness whereof, as well the
Common Seal of the City aforesaid as the seal of the said Geoffrey, have been to
these present indentures interchangeably appended. Given in the Chamber of the
Guildhall of the City aforesaid, the lOth day of May, in the 48th year of the reign
of King Edward, after the Conquest the Third" (Riley's Memorials, pp. m-Zl'^)-
" This," says Stow, " is one and the first of the four principal gates, and also
one of the seven double gates, mentioned by Fitzstephen. It hath had two pair of
gates, though now but one ; the hooks remaineth yet. Also there hath been two
portcloses ; the one of them remaineth, the other wanteth, but the place of letting
down is manifest. '
"This gate being very ruinous, was pulled down Anno 1606 ; when, in digging
for a new foundation, divers Roman coins were discovered, two of which Mr. Bond,
the Surveyor, caused to be cut in stone, and placed in the east front on each side
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
169
the passage. The first stone of this edifice was laid Anno 1607, at the depth of
sixteen feet, and finished Anno 1609.
" Here was only one postern, and that on the north side, for foot-passengers ; and
a water-conduit at the south-east angle thereof; but the last being disused for many
years, two houses were erected in lieu of it, in the year 1734, and a postern made on
the south side of the gate. The apartments over this gate are appropriated to the
use of one of the Lord Mayor's Carvers, and at present are lett to the Charity
School founded by Sir John Cash" (Maitland, vol. i. pp. 22-23).
The gate was taken down in 1761.
ALDGATE IN 1S3O
In 1 29 1, Thomas de Alegate leaves to his wife Eleanor, his houses within
Alegate {Calendar of Wills). The street is often mentioned afterwards.
The ward of Aldgate in the year 1276 was called the ward of John of Northamp-
ton, the then alderman. There was a hermitage on the south side of the gate
within a garden; the garden was let, in 1325, to one Peter a "blader," or corn
merchant. It is not stated whether the hermitage was then occupied. There were
houses beside the gate in 1354. The Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate, was alderman
ex officio of Portsoken Ward; in 1378 we find him sworn to fill the office "and
faithfully to do all things touching that office."
In 1349, the Calendar of Wills speaks of tenements in " Algate Street." Roman
i-jo SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
remains have been found in Aldgate ; at the gate there was a " Roomland " ; without
the gate was a great pit for the burial of those who died ot the plague. In 1315
Sir John de Sandale, leaving London on business of the King, put the Great Seal
into the custody of Sir William de Ayremynn at his inn near Aldgate. In the
same year he received at his inn Edward de Baliol, newly returned from beyond
the sea.
At the east end of the street, under a house facing the pump, was still to be
seen, until 1868, a crypt formerly supposed to have been that of an ancient church,
dedicated to St. Michael and taken down when the Priory of the Holy Trinity was
first founded.
This handsome Gothic structure, which is situated between the east end of
Leadenhall and Fenchurch Streets, under the houses fronting the pump at Aldgate,
is still remaining entire, exhibiting a most beautiful specimen of ancient architecture.
It is shown {L. & M. Arc haological Journal, iv. p. 223 ct seq.) that the crypt
could not have been that of St. Michael's Church. The paper referred to proved
that the Church of St. Michael was not on that site at all. It quotes from the Liber
Diinthorne the boundaries of the soke of the monastery of the Trinity, which are
very nearly the same as those of Aldgate ward.
It concludes that it was more likely the crypt of a great house, perhaps the
ward house.
Rowland Taylor, before being burned for heresy, was taken to the Woolpack, an
inn without Aldgate, and kept there.
A curious story is told concerning the Duke of Buckingham in 1663. "When
the Duke came from Newmarket he stayed at an Inn by Aldgate. Here a
fellow told him his fortune, saying that he would die unfortunately, as his father did,
or that a similar attempt would be made upon him by the 1st of April. On the
Tuesday prior to the date of the letter, the usher of the duke's hall went to bed about
9 at night and rose again about one in the morning and came up at the back and
private way to the duke's chamber where only he, his lady, and a maid were talking.
The maid opened the door at his knock and the usher rushed in with a naked sword,
at which the maid squeaking gave my lord an alarm and he turning back snatched up
a knife and by his boldness daunted the fellow so that he got within him, became
master of his sword, and by that time company came in. The duke sent after the
fortune-teller but the writer did not know whether he had heard of him."
Northward of Aldgate, Mitre Street leads to Mitre Square which is surrounded
by large new buildings belonging to merchants. The ward school is reached through
a rounded tunnel-like entry and proves a pleasant surprise. In itself it is only a
square old brick house without an atom of style or ornament, but before it is a
garden plot where lilac bushes grow, and over the blackened bricks of the house
and adjoining wall climb big trees, hiding the dinginess. From here we get a view
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 171
of the old red-tiled roofs of the houses in Duke Street. In the school there is free
education, and i jo children are clothed at the expense of the charity.
At the back of the ward school stood, until 1874, St. James's, Duke's Place
(see p. 165).
ST. BOTOLPH, ALDGATE
St. Botolph, .\ldgate, stands at the junction of Aldgate Street and Heundsditch, and is said to have
been originally founded about the reign of William the Conqueror. The old building remained standing
till 1 741, when it was pulled down and the present one erected under the direction of the elder Dance and
completed in 1744. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1362. The patronage of the church was in
the hands of: The Prior and the Canons of Holy Trinity, London ; Henry VHI. ; Robert Halywell, by
grant of Elizabeth ; George Puttenham, granted by Elizabeth in the 30th year of her reign ; Francis
Morrice, by James I., in the 7th year of his reign, since which time it has been held by several private
persons, but is now in the hands of the Bishop of London. The benefice, which had been previously united
with that of St. Katherine by the Tower, was in 1899 united with that of Holy Trinity Minories.
Houseling people in 1548 were 1530.
The present church is built of brick, with stone dressings. It includes two side-aisles separated
from the central portion by Tuscan columns, supporting a flat ceiling. There are a great many windows,
mostly filled with stained glass. The tower stands at the south, facing Aldgate High Street, and is sur-
mounted by a small spire.
Chantries were founded here : P'or John Romeney, at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to which
Humphrey de Durham was admitted chaplain, June 3, 1365 ; by Thomas Weston, whose endowment
fetched ^5:6:8 in 1548; by Alex. Sprot and John Grace, whose endowments yielded .;i{^22:i5:8 in
1548.
The most interesting monument in this church is a tomb inscribed to the memory of Thomas,
Lord Darcy and Sir Nicholas Carew, both of whom were concerned in the Roman Catholic plots against
Henry VHL and beheaded on Tower Hill, the former in 1537 and the latter in 1538. The memory of
Robert Dowe, the charitable Merchant Taylor, is preserved by a monument erected by his Company,
originally affixed to a pillar in the chancel, but now removed to the east gallery.
A great number of benefactors are recorded by Stow, some of the most notable of whom were :
Robert Cockes, donor of ;£^ioo ; George Clarke, donor of ;£^2oo for a public school, and other large sums
for parish purposes. The sum total of all the yearly gifts belonging to this parish recorded, amounted to
There were two charity schools, one in the Freedom having fifty boys and forty girls, erected by Sir
John Cass, alderman ; the other, in East Smithfield, having forty boys and thirty girls maintained by
subscription.
James Ardene (1636-91), D.D., Dean of Chester, 1682, was perpetual curate here in 1666; also
White Kennett (1660-1728), Bishop of Peterborough.
St. Botolph's Churchyard is a wide gravelled space with seats provided by the
Metropolitan Public Spaces Association. There is an altar-tomb near the centre,
and a row of flat tombstones of the usual pattern set back against the wall of the
church. There are a few plane-trees and a row of little limes. It is a pleasant
breathing space, used by the poorest of himianit)', who come here for a little rest
and sleep.
High Street, Whitechapel, is of great width and contains some large new brick
and stone buildings. The Three Nuns Hotel, an immense red-brick building erected
172 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
in 1877, and recently added to, stands near the station. By Crown Place, No. 23,
is an old bow-windowed chop-house. On the east the chief feature is the large
number of shops or stalls open to the street, covered by an awning or by a glass
roof. These belong chiefly to butchers, and have a characteristic aspect. The
last five or si.x houses before Mansell Street are all of considerable age and very
picturesque.
Returning now westward we find :
The church and parish of St. Mary Axe, which are mentioned in the Calendar of Wills in the
thirteenth century. Stow says of it :
" In St. Marie street had ye of old time a parish church of St. Marie the Virgin, St. Ursula and the
eleven thousand Virgins, which church was commonly called St. Marie at the Axe, of the sign of an axe,
over against the east end thereof, or St. Marie Pellipar, of a plot of ground lying on the north side thereof,
pertaining to the Skinners in London. This parish, about the year 1565, was united to the parish church
of St. Andrew Undershaft, and so was St. Mary at the Axe suppressed and letten out to be a warehouse for
a merchant."
Cunningham corrects this statement. The church was called St. Mary Axe because it possessed an
Axe, one of the three with which the 11,000 Virgins were beheaded.
The parish is now united with that of St. Andrew Undershaft.
ST. ANDREW UNDERSHAFT
The Church of St. Andrew Undershaft stands at the corner of St. Mary Axe, and on the north side
is the churchyard, a little space where a few young trees grow. It derives its name from the May-day
custom of setting up a pole higher than the steeple before the south door. This custom was discontinued
after " Evil May Day " (see Tudor London, p. 24). The present building, occupying the site of the original
one, of unknown date, was erected, according to Stow, in 1520, at the expense of a Sir Stephen Jennings,
William Fitzwilliams, and others. The work of restoration has been carried on here during the last thirty
years. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1361. The patronage has always been in the hands of the
Bishop of London, in whose successors it continues ; he presented to it in 1361.
The church is a late example of the Perpendicular style, consisting of a nave and two side aisles, and
surmounted by a tower, rebuilt in 1S30, which is about 91 feet in height, and contains six bells. The'
aisles are divided from the nave by clustered columns and obtusely pointed arches, and above this is the
clerestory. The spandrels between the arches were embellished with scriptural paintings in 1726, but
they are now much faded. In 1875 the series of full-length portraits of Edward VI., Elizabeth, James I.,
Charles I., and Charles II., were transferred from the east window to the west, and modern stained glass
took their place. A chantry was founded here by Alan de Chepe in 131 1.
The most interesting monument is that of the great antiquarian John Stow ; it is made of terra-cotta
and is placed near the eastern end of the north wall. There is another dedicated to Sir Hugh Hammersley,
sheriff 1618, and Lord Mayor 1627, part of the sculpture of which is very fine. On the east wall of the
north aisle is a brass to Nicholas Levin, sheriff in 1534, and a liberal contributor to the work of building
the church ; the brass is not large, but twenty well-defined figures have been introduced. Sir William
Craven, Lord Mayor, 1640, a great benefactor to the parish, was interred here, but has no monument;
also Peter Antony Motteux, who wrote comedies and masques, and died in 17 18. Seven remarkable old
books are preserved in the vestry, Fo.xe's Acts and Monuments, Sir W. Raleigh's History of the World, and
others ; a fragment of the chain which formerly fastened Foxe's book to a desk is still retained.
This church and parish received many charitable gifts, some of the donors of which were : Robert
Gayer, ^50 ; Sir Thomas Rich, ^"400 ; the widow of Mr. Van Citters, ^200, for the apprenticeship of
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
17:
two parish children, 1706; and Joseph Chamberlain, ^121 : is. in 1706. There was a charity school for
fifty boys and thirty girls who were clothed, taught, and put out as apprentices by contribution. Among
the most notable rectors were : John Russell (died 1494), Bishop of Rochester; John Pricket, Bi.shop of
ST. ANDREW U.VDERSnAFT
Gloucester; Robert Grove (1631-1696), Bishop of Chichester; and William Walsham How (1823-1S97),
Bishop of Bedford and of Wakefield.
Stow died in this parish and, it is believed, in St. Mary Axe itself, his windows
overlooking the grounds and ruins of St. Helen's nunnery.
174 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Another parish church stood in St. Mary Axe, at the north end against the
wall. It was called St. Augustine's-in-the-Wall. In the year 1430 the church was
allotted to the Fraternity of the Papey, the house for poor priests.
The house v/as suppressed in the reign of Edward VI., and was afterwards
occupied by Sir Francis Walsingham (see Medieval London, vol. ii. p. 2>n\
The modern St. Mary Axe is not interesting. The old house at the corner of
Great St. Helen's is the first to be noticed. Next to it is another old one, stuccoed.
A few doors northward is the Grapes public-house. Then follow a succession
of more or less new warehouses, with narrow frontage, chiefly in red brick, not un-
picturesquely designed. A very new red brick building with much ornamental
detail is St. Anne's Chambers, Nos. -iyl to 41. This is succeeded by the ward
school, which is of red brick and bears its name across its frontage. It is the ward
school of Cornhill and Lime Street, and was established 17 10. The present building
was erected in 1846. A little model of St. George and the Dragon gives a touch of
vivacity to its appearance. Beyond this are large brick business houses and ware-
houses. Bishopsgate Avenue is occupied chieily by stationers and printers.
Bevis Marks. — ■' Then next is one great House, large of Rooms, fair Courts and
Garden Plots, sometime pertaining to the Bassets, since that, to the Abbots of Bury
in Suffolk, and therefore called Buries Marks, corruptly Bevis Marks. And since
the Dissolution of the Abbey of Bury, to Thomas Heneage the Father, and Sir
Thomas Heneage the Son.
" This House and Ground is now encreased into many Tenements : And among
the rest, the Jews of London have of late built themselves a large Synagogue here,
wainscotted round. It stands East and West like one of our Churches. The great
Door is on the West : Near to which West End is a long Desk upon an Ascent, some-
what raised from the rest of the Floor ; where I suppose the Law is read. The East
wall is in part railed in ; and before the Wall is a Door, which is to open with a Key,
where their Law seems to be laid up. Aloft on this Wall are the Ten Commandments,
or some part of them, inscribed in Golden Hebrew Letters without Points. There be
seven great Branched Candlesticks of Brass hanging down from the Top ; and many
other Places for Candles and Lamps. The Seats are Benches, with Backs to them
that run along from West to East " (Strype, vol. i. bk. ii. p. 'j-^).
The modern Bevis Marks is lined on the west by substantial red-brick buildings
chiefly occupied by merchants.
Heneage Lane, leading out of Bevis Marks, a narrow and dark thoroughfare,
contains the synagogue of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews. It is a plain structure
externally, built in the year 1700. Standing in the midst of its courts and almshouses
the place has somewhat the appearance of a Spanish convent. The interior is
spacious and fitted with two galleries, one for women. The children attend service
under one of the galleries.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 175
The derivation of Houndsditch as given by Stow is as unsavoury as the
reputation the street later earned. "Called Hounds-ditch for that in old time when
the same lay open much filth (conveyed forth of the Citie) especially dead dogges
was there laid or cast." Beyond the mud wall that enclosed the ditch was a " fay re
field " where were the almshouses of the Priory of Holy Trinity.
"In my youth, I remember," continues Stow, "devout people as well men as
women of the Citie, were accustomed oftentimes, especially on Frydayes weekely, to
walke that way purposely, and there to bestow their charitable almes ; every poor
man or woman lying in their bed within their window, which was toward the street
open so low, that every man might see them."
At present looking down Houndsditch from Bishopsgate Within the street
presents a not unpicturesque appearance. On the south, indeed, it is one continuous
row of dull brick box-like houses, but on the north one or two old projecting houses
break the line. No. 96 is an old stuccoed house which projects in a broad bay above
the first floor. Besides these old houses several high plain warehouses break up the
monotony of the street line. Houndsditch is the centre of the old-clothes trade.
To the north lie huge warehouses and industrial dwellings.
Bishopsgate. — There were two northern gates to the Roman wall : one
of them corresponding with Newgate and the other with Bishopsgate. But the
Saxon and mediaeval Bishopsgate was not built on the site of the Roman gate,
but a little to the west. The foundations of the Roman gate have been found
in Camomile Street ; they were built with carved stones taken from some
Roman building, perhaps a villa, an illustration of my theory that the wall was
built in great haste and that all the stone buildings of the City were used in its
construction.
The massive masonry of the ancient " Newgate" has also been found close by
the later gate in Giltspur Street.
The traffic along Bishopsgate Street, which led into the Roman Fort, and to
the Bridge from the north and eastern parts of the island, caused a settlement and a
street to be established here long before the wall was built. For the same reason,
when the City began to fill up after its long period of desolation, the line was one of
the first to be settled again, while on either side there were vacant spaces, orchards,
fields, and gardens. Houses and shops sprang up both within and without the wall ;
the latter only when the Norman power had removed the fear of another siege. It
is impossible to say with any certainty when the street was actually recognised as
such. Thus, to quote such facts as are accessible in Riley's Memorials, in the
Calendar of Wills, etc., we find that in 1259, 1272, 1285, and 1288 there are
mentioned "houses near, or within, Bishopsgate," and in 1309 and 1311 there are
"houses without" Bishopsgate. In 1329 we find a brew-house in Bishopsgate
Street. Again, in 13 14 the shops of one Roger Poyntel are in danger by reason of
176 SURVEY OF THE CITY OE LONDON
an overhanging elm-tree, thanks to which we learn that there were at that time
residents close by the gate ; in 1305 a tourelle in the wall near the gate is given to
William Coeur de Lyon, chaplain, on condition that he keeps it in repair; in 1314
another tourelle near the gate is given to John de Elyngham, chaplain in charity, on
the same condition; in 131 8 the upper chamber of the gate, together with a tourelle
on the east, and a garden against the wall, is granted to John de Long, an Easterling,
or member of the Hanseatic League, on the same condition. In 1324 he renounced
his lease and, apparently, went home. (Here we have an instance of a Hanseatic
merchant living outside the Dovins, or Aiila Teutonicorum, where they were all
supposed to live. But no absolute rule about anything can be laid down in these
centuries.) The Almaines or Easterlings who were responsible for the repair and
maintenance of the gate, were exempt from toll. On the other hand (another
illustration of the conflicting "rights" of the time), the Bishop of London claimed
one stock out of every cart-load of wood that passed through the gate. Let the
Bishop, then, keep the hinges in repair!
The gate was built, it is said, by Bishop Erkenwald in 685. One supposes,
since he did not rebuild on the Roman foundations, that a way had been made
through the wall on the west side, and that traffic had, for convenience, chosen that
way. The gate was considered, in some sense, to be under the special care of the
Bishop. But the burden of its maintenance was laid upon the Hanseatic merchants.
The case was tried and decided in 1282, when the merchants were ordered to keep
the gate, and to find men and money if necessary in its defence for one-third of the
cost. On the antiquities of the gate, hear also Stow :
" The eldest note that I read of this Bishopsgate, is that William Blund, one of
the sheriffs of London, in the year 12 10, sold to Serle Mercer, and William Almaine,
procurators or wardens of London Bridge, all his land, with the garden, in the parish
of St. Buttolph without Bishopsgate.
" Next I read in a charter, dated the year 1235, that Walter Brune, citizen of
London, and Rosia his wife, having founded the priory or new hospital of our
blessed Lady, since called St. Mary Spittle without Bishopsgate, confirmed the same
to the honour of God and our blessed Lady, for canons regular.
"Also in the year 1247, Simon Fitzmary, one of the sheriffs of London, the
29th of Henry III., founded the hospital of St. Mary, called Bethlem without
Bishopsgate.
"This gate was again beautifully built in the year 1479, in the reign of
Edward IV., by the Haunce merchants.
"Moreover, about the year 1551, these Haunce merchants, having prepared
stone for that purpose, caused a new gate to be framed, there to have been set up,
but then their liberties, through suit of our English merchants, were seized into the
king's hand ; and so that work was stayed, and the old gate yet remaineth."
177
178 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
In 1 73 1 the old gate was taken down and another erected. This, with the
other City gates, was removed in 1760.
If we walk down Bishopsgate Street Within, we cannot do better than take
Stow with us, remembering that he is writing in the year 1598 :
"And first to begin on the left hand of Bishopsgate street, from the gate you
have certain tenements of old time pertaining to a brotherhood of St. Nicholas,
granted to the parish clerks of London, for two chaplains, to be kept in the chapel
of St. Mary Magdalen, near unto the Guildhall of London, in the 27th of Henry VI.
The first of these houses towards the north, and against the wall of the city, was
sometime a large inn or court called the Wrestlers, of such a sign, and the last in
the high street towards the south was sometime also a fair inn called the Angel, of
such a sign. Among these said tenements was on the same street side a fair entry,
or court, to the common hall of the said parish clerks, with proper alms-houses,
seven in number, adjoining, for poor parish clerks, and their wives and their widows,
such as were in great years not able to labour. This brotherhood, amongst other,
being suppressed, in the reign of Edward VI. the said hall, with the other buildings
there, was given to Sir Robert Chester, a knight of Cambridgeshire ; against whom
the parish clerks commencing suit, in the reign of Queen Mary, and being like to
have prevailed, the said Sir Robert Chester pulled down the hall, sold the timber,
stone, and lead, and thereupon the suit was ended. The alms-houses remain
in the queen's hands, and people are there placed, such as can make best friends ;
some of them, taking the pension appointed, have let forth their houses for
great rent, giving occasion to the parson of the parish to challenge tithes of the
poor, etc."
After mentioning St. Ethelburga, St. Helen's, and St. Andrew Undershaft, he
goes on :
" Then have you one great house called Crosby place, because the same ^yas
built by Sir John Crosby, grocer and woolman, in place of certain tenements, with
their appurtenances, letten to him by Alice Ashfeld, prioress of St. Helen's, and the
convent, for ninety-nine years, from the year 1466 unto the year 1565, for the annual
rent of ^i i : 6 : 8.
" Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and lord protector, afterwards king, by the
name of Richard III., was lodged in this house ; since the which time, among other,
Anthonie Bonvice, a rich merchant of Italy, dwelt there ; after him, Garmain Cioll,
then William Bond, alderman, increased this house in height, with building of a
turret on the top thereof: he deceased in the year 1576, and was buried in
St. Helen's church. Divers ambassadors have been lodged there ; namely, in the
year 1586, Henry Ramelius, chancellor of Denmark, ambassador unto the queen's
majesty of England from Frederick II., the king of Denmark ; an ambassador of
France, etc. Sir John Spencer, Alderman, lately purchased this house, made great
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
179
reparations, kept his mayoralty there, and since built a most large warehouse near
thereunto.
" From this Crosbie place up to Leaden Hall corner, and so down Grass
Street, amongst other tenements, are divers fair and large built houses for merchants
and such like.
" Now for the other side of this ward, namely, the right hand, hard by within
Drawn by Schnebbelit.
ST. HELEN, niSIIOI'Sr.ATE, 1S17
the gate, is one fair water conduit, which Thomas Knesworth, mayor, in the year
1505, founded : he gave ^60, the rest was furnished at the common charges of the
city. This conduit hath since been taken down and new built. David Woodroffe,
alderman, gave ^20 towards the conveyance of more water thereunto. From this
conduit have you, amongst many fair tenements, divers fair inns, large for receipt of
travellers, and some houses for men of worship ; namely, one most spacious of all
other thereabout, built of brick and timber by Sir Thomas Gresham, knight, who
i8o SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
deceased in the year 1579, and was buried in St. Helen's church, under a fair
monument, by him prepared in his life : he appointed by his testament this house
to be made a college of readers, as before is said in the chapter of schools and
houses of learning.
"Somewhat west from this house is one other very fair house, wherein
Sir William Hollis kept his mayoralty, and was buried in the parish church of
St. Helen. Sir Andrew Jud also kept his mayoralty there, and was buried at
St. Helen's: he built alms-houses for six poor alms people near to the said parish
church, and gave lands to the Skinners, out of the which they are to give 4s. every
week to the six poor alms people, 8d. the piece, and 25s. 4d. the year, in coals
amongst them for ever" (Stow's S7n-vcy, p. 181).
Shakespeare, who lived for a time in St. Helen's, and therefore knew Crosby
Hall well, has introduced it in Richard III. Sir Thomas More lived here for a
time, the guest of Bonvici, to whom from the Tower he wrote, and in whose gown,
of silk camlet, he went to his execution. In 1547 Bonvici let the house on lease to
William Roper, More's son-in-law, and to his nephew William Rastell, a printer.
Under Edward VI., Bonvici, Rastell, and Roper went abroad, but came home under
Mary. Meantime Edward VI. had conferred the house upon Sir Thomas D'Arcy,
afterwards Lord D'Arcy, who seems to have sold it to William Bond, alderman and
sheriff Sir John Spencer next became the owner of the house. He received the
Due de Sully, Grand Treasurer of France, with all his retinue.
The way in which the inheritance of this great merchant came to the Comptons
is told by Hare :
"Sir John Spencer, having but a poor opinion of the Compton family in that
day, positively forbade the first Earl of Northampton to pay his addresses to his
daughter, who was the greatest heiress in England. One day, at the foot of the
staircase. Sir John met the baker's boy with his covered barrow, and, being pleased
at his having come punctually when he was ordered, he gave him sixpence ; but the
baker's boy was Lord Northampton in disguise, and in the covered barrow he was
carrying off the beautiful Elizabeth Spencer. When he found how he had been
duped, Sir John swore that Lord Northampton had seen the only sixpence of his
money he should ever receive, and refused to be reconciled to his daughter. But
the next year Queen Elizabeth, having expressed to Sir John Spencer the sympathy
which she felt with his sentiments upon the ingratitude of his child, invited him to
come and be "gossip" with her to a newly-born baby in which she was much
interested, and he could not refuse ; and it is easy to imagine whose that baby was.
So the Spencer property came to the Comptons after all" (Hare, vol. i. pp. 284-85).
In 1642 the Earl of Northampton was killed at Hopton Heath, beside the
King. Here lived the Countess of Pembroke, Sidney's sister, immortalised by Ben
Jonson's epitaph. In 1640 Sir John Langham, sheriff in 1642, leased the house ; it
a
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THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
iSi
is said to have been used as a prison for Royalists. His son, Sir Stephen Langham,
succeeded, and in his time a great part of the house was destroyed by fire. In 1672,
its great hall became a Presbyterian meeting-house ; it was then turned into a
packers' warehouse. In 1831 it was converted into an institute for lectures and is
now a restaurant.^
The streets and courts leading out of Bishopsgate Street Within are neither
important nor numerous. On the west side going south from the gate were inns
COUNCIL ROOM, CROSBY HAI.I., iSlO
called the Vine, the Four Swans, the Green Dragon, the Black Bull, and the Cross
Keys (in Gracechurch Street).
Beginning at the south end of the modern Bishopsgate we see on the west the
Bank of Scotland, the National Bank of Australasia, and the Delhi and London
Bank, housed under one roof in a large stone building with the lower windows
enclosed in exceptionally high and bold arches. Baring Bros. Bank is opposite.
It is a plain, well-proportioned brick building, symmetrical and without tawdry
1 Since pulled down and re-erected as a -Students' Hall of Residence at Chelsea.
iS2 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
ornament ; it was designed by R. Norman Shaw. It is flanked on either side by
a pubhc-house, The Black Lion and the City of London Tavern. Just opposite
the entrance of Threadneedle Street the Wesleyan Centenary Hall attracts attention
by its size and solidity. Four immense fluted columns run up the facade to a frieze
and triangular pediment. It was erected in 1839. Close by is the Bank of Scotland.
It looks out on the really fine National Provincial Bank of England at the north
corner of Threadneedle Street. This has fluted stone columns running up to the
frieze along the whole frontage. They enclose very tall, round-headed windows,
and above the windows are deep panels of great size executed in basso-relievo. It
was erected in 1833 and the architect was J. Gibson. Along the parapet of the roof
at intervals are placed statues which break the hard line.
Immediately opposite the entry, on the east side of the square we see a dreary
block of brick houses ; these are Crosby Buildings, and are fully occupied by repre-
sentatives of trade and commerce. On the south side there is an old stuccoed house
with a square pillared porch. The next house is of red brick with decorative brick
panels let in on the face. This is an old house which has been recased. Its fine
stuccoed doorway is still preserved. On the west a large red brick building bearing
date 1876 fills up the space, and on the north is an old brick house with a plain
projecting pediment over the door, and brackets similar to those on the south
side. No. 7 in the north-east corner is a new stone house of plain but rather
original design. A couple of little plane-trees grow up at either end of the quiet
square.
A covered entry leads from Crosby Square to Great St. Helen's. The first
part of this tortuous thoroughfare is lined by the side of Crosby Buildings, modern
brick, on the one side, and the end of the stuccoed synagogue, which stands back
from the frontage of the street, on the other. About this part, and the narrow
lane which succeeds it running north and south, there is little to say ; the substantial
business spirit pervades even the bricks and mortar. But in the open space beyond,
facing the church, are some features of interest. Nos. 8, 9, and 10 have all been
rebuilt in the large-windowed flat modern style. No. 7 is a fine old red brick house.
No. 2 is a delightful one and has an ornamental doorway with fluted columns and
pilasters supporting the lintel, beneath which on either side are cherubs' heads. Across
the wide space before the quaint and interesting church are other red brick houses,
some old and some of more modern date. Close by the entry the builder is at work
on the site of some charming old gabled houses demolished within the last five years.
ST. HELEN, BISHOPSGATE
There is a well-known tradition that a church was built here in the fourth century by the Emperor
Constantine, and there is a record preserved which proves that the church was in existence before the year
loio. A church standing on this site was given by one Ranulph, and Robert his son, to the Dean and
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY i8
J
Canons of St. Paul's at a date unknown. About 12 12, permission was obtained to found the Priory of
St. Helen for nuns of the Benedictine Order and with this the real history of the church begins. It is
always stated that the north aisle of the church was used by the nuns, while the south was occupied by
the parishioners, but the first rector mentioned dates from 1541, that is to say, after the suppression of the
Religious Houses. On the dissolution of the priory in 1538 the church was given in its entirety to parochial
uses. It was largely repaired in 1631 (under the direction of Inigo Jones), in 1841, 1865, and again in
1891-93. In 1873 the parish of St. Martin Outwich was united with this, its church having been
pulled down.
Houseling people in 1548 were 220.
The church consists of two parallel naves, each of 122 feet in length and about 25 feet in width,
and a south transept, out of which two eastern chapels open. In the north wall is an arched doorway
which led from the choir into the priory, also a hagioscope through which the nuns were able to discern
the high altar from the cloisters. All this part and some of the south transept dates from the thirteenth
century ; the side chapels were added about the middle of the fourteenth and the rest dates from the
fifteenth century.
A chantry was founded in honour of the Holy Ghost for the soul of Adam Fraunceys, to which
Joan, Prioress of the Convent of St. Helen, presented Robert Gryngeley, May 18, 1399, and for Agnes his
wife (Hennessey's Chantries, p. 39).
The church contains a remarkable number of interesting monuments. The following are com-
memorated : Alderman John Robinson, Merchant Taylor and merchant of the Staple of England ;
died 1599. Francis Bancroft, who bequeathed over ^28,000 to the Drapers Company for the erection
of almshouses and a school for boys; he died 1727. Martin Bond, M.P. in 1624 and 1625 for the City
of London. Alberticus Gentilis, Merchant Adventurer and a prolific legal author who was an exile from
Italy on account of his Protestant opinions ; he became Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford and died in
1608. Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange and Gresham College, who died in 1579.
Sir Andrew Judde, Lord Mayor in 1550, and a great benefactor of the parish. Sir Julius Cresar, judge.
Master of the Rolls under James I. ; his monument was executed by Nicholas Stone, Master Mason to
King Charles I. Sir William Pickering, Knt., soldier and scholar, whose monument is the most magnificent
in the church ; he distinguished himself greatly under Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth ;
he died in 1574. Sir John Crosby, already mentioned in connection with Crosby Hall. Sir John Spencer,
Lord Mayor in 1594, commonly known as "Rich Spencer " on account of his vast wealth. The Rev.
J. E. Cox, D.D., who was Vicar-in-charge of the united parishes, wrote The Annals of St. Helen's,
Bishopsgate, London ; he was for nine years in succession Grand Chaplain of England. On the floors of
the two chapels there are several brasses very well executed.
A considerable number of benefactors are recorded by Stow, but the amounts of their gifts were
small individually. Sir John Crosby, at his death in 1475, bequeathed 500 marks for the repair of the
church. In more recent times Francis Bancroft bequeathed over ^^28,000 ; this has been devoted to
founding a school at Woodford, Essex, for boys — 100 boarders and 200 day-boys. Sir Andrew Judde
left the Skinners Company trustees for the accomplishment of charitable aims.
There were five almshouses near the church for as many decayed Skinners and their wives. Six alms-
houses also were founded by Sir Andrew Judde ; in Little St. Helen Street there were seven houses for the
same number of widows, each of whom had ^5 : 4s. per annum.
Thomas Horton (d. 1673), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, 1649, was rector here.
For an account of the ancient nunnery of St. Helen, see Medicsval London,
vol. ii. p. 313.
St. Helen's Place is a quiet corner with monotonous rows of Early Victorian or
Georgian brick houses finished off with yellow paint. No. i, near the entrance,
and No. 2 have slight pillared porches over their doorways. In the north-
1 84
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
east corner the small but richly-decorated front of the Leathersellers' Hall attracts
attention. The place is shut off from the street by spiked iron gates.
THE LEATHERSELLERS COMPANY
Dealers in leather are supposed to have existed as a society or corporation in Britain from
the time of the Romans.
The " leathersellers," as a company, are first mentioned about a.d. 1372, in Edward III.'s reign,
PRIN'CirAL ENTRANCE TO LEATHERSELLERS HALL. DEMOLISHED I799
when their "probi homines," or "bons gentz," their wardens or seniors, came before the Court of
.\ldermen, together with those of the craft of Pursers, afterwards amalgamated with the Leathersellers
Company, and jointly presented a bill or " supplication " desiring some stringent regulations to be made
for the prevention of the sale of other than genuine leather, and to prevent fraudulent colouring of
leather.
The leathersellers were known as a corporation in London, and were governed by ordinances,
1377-99-
The first charter of incorporation was granted to the Company by 22 Henry VL, 1444. It is
still in their possession, and, " after reciting the petition of Thomas Bigge and fourteen others, men of the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 185
mistery of leathersellers of the city of London, sets forth an ordinance made by Richard Whittington,
mayor, and the aldermen of the city, 21 Richard II., a.d. 1398, that two or four of the better or more
approved men of the mistery should yearly be chosen and sworn to guard and oversee defaults in the same
mistery, and to present, from time to time, to the mayor and chamber of the said city aforesaid for the
time being ; and that none of the mistery aforesaid, to wit, master or servant, should be rebellious or
contrarious to such men so chosen and sworn, duly exercising search in the said mistery, nor points,
or laces, unless they were well and sufificiently made, nor straps of the leather of sheep or calf, nor thereof
any other work, should falsely or deceitfully be wrought to the deception of the people under pain of the
heavy punishment upon such cases ordained, and the payment of 6s. 8d. ; to wit, to the use of the Chamber
of the city aforesaid 4od., and to the use of the said mistery 4od."
There are now 151 members of the livery. They have a Corporate Income of ^17,000 and a Trust
Income of ;i^30oo. With the Leathersellers were incorporated the White Tawyers, or makers of white
leather ; the Pouchmakers, the Pursers, the Mailmakers, the Galoche-makers, the Tiltmongers, the
Leather-dressers, the Parchment-makers and the Leather-dyers.
The earliest quarters of the trades connected with Leather were in the north under London Wall.
Here they had their first hall. After the dissolution of the Religious Houses the Company obtained the
site of the nunnery known as St. Helen's. Part of the house was converted into the Company's Hall,
the old Refectory becoming the Company's place of meeting and banqueting. This ancient structure was
destroyed in 1797, the present one was built in 1878.
The low small Church of St. Ethelburga peers over some old houses, which
seem to have stuck to it as barnacles to a decayed ship.
ST. ETHELBURGA THE VIRGIN
This church is dedicated to Ethelburga, who was sister of Erconwald, fourth Bishop of London, and
first Abbess of Barking. In all probability the parish was formed and the church was built in the century
which succeeded the Conquest. It escaped the Great Fire, and has subsequently had a great deal of
attempted restoration. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1304.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: the Prioress and Convent of St. Helen's, London,
1366 ; then Henry VIII. seized it and it was granted in 1569 to the Bishop of London, and continues with
his successors.
Houseling people in 1548 were 140.
The present church, originally Early English, appears to have been altered at the close of the
fourteenth century or early fifteenth. It is very small, measuring less than 60 feet by 30, and under
31 feet in height, and is almost crowded out by houses. Entrance is obtained through an archway between
two shops, the upper stories of which conceal everything but the top of the west window and turret. It
contains a south aisle separated from the rest by four pointed arches, with a clerestory above. The roof
is divided into compartments and slopes slightly at the sides. The arch at the entrance of the nave is fine
and there are remnants of wood-carving, probably of the sixteenth century, on the porch.
A chantry was founded here at the Altar of the Blessed A'irgin Mary by Gilbert Marion, and
Christina his wife, to which Thomas More was admitted chaplain, December 15, 1436-
There are tablets affixed to the wall commemorating parishioners, but little interest attaches to the
individuals. The only two connected with this church of any eminence are John Larke, a friend of Sir
Thomas More, who was executed in 1554 for denying the King's supremacy; and Luke Milbourne
(1649-1720), Dryden's hostile critic, rector here in 1704. William Bray (d. 1644), chaplain to Archbishop
Laud, was also sometime rector.
In Clark's Place is a building containing the Marine Society, with the statues of
i86
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
a woman and boy in a niche. In Bishopsgate Street, No. 68, is an old stuccoed
house with projecting upper stories. No. 67 is also old though not so
noticeable.
Part of Ethelburga House and the numbers on the north, as far as 23 inclusive,
are in this ward. The corner house has a stone mitre of large size on its corner and
an inscription, rather quaintly worded, announcing that the gate stood formerly
"adjoining to this spot." Looking back down Bishopsgate from here we get a fine
^;nati^^r^^-
ST. ETHELBURGA, UISHOPSGATE ST.
perspective view. The modern buildings are of all heights, but distance blends them
not inharmoniously, leaving enough variety to be pleasing.
The Mail Coach public-house is at the corner, and on the opposite house is a
small mitre in memory of the Bishopsgate.
Just outside the City Wall is
ST. BOTOLPH, BISHOPSGATE
This church escaped the Great Fire of 1666, but was rebuilt in 1725-29 by James Gold. In 1615
the City gave the parishioners additional ground on the west for burial purposes. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1323.
THE ANTIOUITIES OF THE CITY
187
The patronage of the church has always been in the hands of the bishops of London
since 1323.
Houseling people in 1548 were 650.
The building includes two aisles, separated from the main body by composite columns. There are
galleries on the north, south, and west. The steeple rises at the east end, and the chancel, therefore, is
formed beneath the tower. It is built of stone and consists of three stories, the third of which is completed
Pictorial Agency.
ST. noToi.ra, msuoPhOATii
by a small composite temple surrounded by a balustrade and surmounted by an urn. The remainder of
the exterior is of red brick with stone dressings.
Sir Paul Pindar, a great benefactor to the church, who acted as James I.'s Turkish Ambassador in
161 1, was buried in this church, and a monument was erected to his memory. Close to this, also in the
chancel, is a brass plate in memory of Sir William Blizard, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, who
died in 1S35. John Keats was baptized here in 1795, and Edward Alleyn, founder of Dulwich College,
in 1566. Here also Archibald Campbell, 7th ICarl of Argyll and father of the celebrated first marquis,
was married in 1609.
There were a considerable number of small charitable gifts belonging to this parish. Of the larger,
i88 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Ralph Pindar was a donor of ^,60; Nicholas Reive, of ^406 : 5s. in 1626; William, Earl of
Devonshire, of ;^ 100.
There was one charity school for twenty-five boys and twenty-five girls, who were taught and made
apprentices by subscription and legacies. Also almshouses in Lamb's Court for the poor of the parish,
maintained by Duhvich College, and three almshouses by the pesthouse for three poor widows, the gift
of Lady Lumley.
Some of the notable rectors were: Alfred Earle, Bishop of Marlborough, in 1888; Charles James
Blomfield (17S6-1857), Bishop of Chester ; John Lake (1624-89), Bishop of Chichester.
On the site of Spital Square, Bishopsgate Street Without, stood the ancient
house called St. Mary Spital, for an account of which see MedicBval Loudon,
vol. ii. p. 322.
Bishopsgate Street Without is a curious mixture of old houses, some with
grotesque features, and modern buildings presenting only a strip of much-ornamented
stone or brick frontage. After the Great Eastern Hotel on the west, the frontage
of the station presents a very long row of uniform buildings in new red brick with
stone dressings and ornamental gable ends. The famous old house named Paul
Pindar's was pulled down to make way for these.
Paul Pindar (b. 1565) was the son of Ralph Pindar, alderman's deputy for the
ward of Bishopsgate. At sixteen he was apprenticed to one Parvish, an Italian
merchant who sent him to Venice as his factor, and he stayed there many years. In
161 5 he was sent to Turkey as Ambassador by request of the Turkey Company, and
he remained there for nine years. He returned in 1623, and was knighted. The
King offered him also the Lieutenancy of the Tower, which he declined. Charles
thereupon made him Farmer of Customs.
In 1639 he possessed ^236,000, out of which he gave large sums to the King.
He died August 22, 1650. The row of houses that now stand on the site of his
house have fairly good shops on the ground-floors, and there are one or two archway
entrances into the station premises near the north end. The Black Raven public-
house is one of these. Acorn Street, Skinner Street, and Primrose Street need
very little comment. They are chiefly composed of the sides of houses fronting
Bishopsgate, and some ordinary modern brick buildings.
Nos. 13 1-2-3 ^""^ o'"^ plaster houses, and No. 120, beyond Acorn Street, has a
projecting bay window carried up two stories. This is also an old house. These
are all on the west side. On the east, beginning again from the south end, the first
building to attract attention is the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Station, erected 1885.
It is an improvement on the monstrosities continually perpetrated in the name of the
Fire Brigade. The Bishopsgate Institute is near Brushfield Street. It fronts
Bishopsgate with an elaborate yellow terra-cotta facade, and has an open entry.
The entrance to the Bishopsgate Chapel is under an old stuccoed house, and the.
chapel itself is a large stuccoed building. Beyond this, after a Great Northern
Receiving Office, are some very old houses, plastered with rough stucco in imitation
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 189
of stone. These are Nos. 82 to 84. One of them has wooden rusticated work
from above the first story to the top of the gable end. The date 1590 is stated
to have been visible on one of them within the memory of man. On the corner
house of Spital Street is a tablet noting the point of the City Bounds. This was
placed here in 1846.
GROUP V
We come next to those streets which run north and south of Thames Street. The
area is bounded on the north by Ludgate Hill, St. Paul's Churchyard, Cannon Street,
and Fenchurch Street ; on the south by the Thames ; on the east by Tower Hill
and the site of London Wall ; and on the west by the bed of the Fleet River, now
New Bridge Street. For the sake of convenience we will begin at the west end.
The wall of the City originally crossed Ludgate Hill at the gate, and ran down
nearly in a straight line to the river. The Castle or Tower of Montfichet was in the
middle of this piece of wall, and Baynard's Castle was at the south end of it. The
Tower of Montfichet passed into the Fitzwalter family, who also owned the soke
beside it. Now, when the first enmity broke out between John and Fitzwalter, all
the castles and houses of the latter were dismantled and destroyed by the King's
command. In 1276 the Dominicans begged permission to occupy a piece of ground
lying between the wall and the river Fleet. Lord Fitzwalter gave the Friars the
site of Castle Baynard and of Montfichet. They also obtained permission to pull
down the town wall at this place, and to rebuild it farther west, so as to include their
ground. Here the Black Friars settled and built great buildings, and claimed the
right of sanctuary. Westward of the Black Friars was the house of the Carmelites,
called the White Friars. They claimed right of sanctuary also, a right which
descended to a haunt of rogues, called Alsatia, an account of which may be read in
The Forhines of Nigel :
" The ancient sanctuary at Whitefriars lay considerably lower than the elevated
terraces and gardens of the Temple, and was therefore generally involved in the fogs
and damps of the Thames. The brick buildings by which it was occupied crowded
closely on each other. . . . The wailing of children, the scolding of their mothers,
the miserable exhibition of ragged linens hung from the windows to dry, spoke the
wants and distresses of the wretched inhabitants ; while the sounds of complaint were
mocked and overwhelmed in the riotous shouts, oaths, profane songs, and boisterous
laughter that issued from the alehouses and taverns, which, as the signs indicated,
were equal in number to all the other houses."
Where is now Bridge Street was formerly the Fleet River, and on its western
bank was Bridewell Palace, a palace where the Norman kings held Court.
190
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 191
The old palace, burnt down in the Great Fire, was built round two courtyards ;
in its later days rebuilt, it followed the frequent fate of such ancient monuments, and
became partly a "hospital" for poor boys, partly a prison fot" vagrants and other
unwanted persons. It was also a hospital for lunatics, and was put under the same
management as Bethlehem in 1557. Bridewell is also fully described in London in
the Eighteenth Century. The part of London bounded north and south by Fleet
Street and the River, east and west by New Bridge Street and the Temple, is now
almost entirely occupied by mammoth printing-offices ; yet on the Embankment are
one or two buildings of note: Sion College, opened here in 1886 to supersede the
old building on London Wall ; the Guildhall School of Music ; the City of London
School for Girls (all modern).
After Blackfriars Bridge, running behind the line of wharves and warehouses,
begins Thames Street, Upper and Lower, once one of the principal thoroughfares in
London, a London that knew nothing of what is now called the "West End." It is
now a noisy street "pestered" with drays and vans, with cranes and their accompani-
ments, so that to walk therein in work-hours is a perilous proceeding.
Yet this ancient street, Thames Street, is, not even excepting West Chepe, the
most interesting and the most venerable of all the streets of London. It is the seat
of the export and the import trade. From Thames Street the City sent abroad the
products of the country — the iron, the wool, the skins and hides ; from Thames
Street the City distributed the imports to the various parts of the country.
Off the wharves of Thames Street lay the shops of all the nations of Western
Europe. In the narrow lanes leading down to the stairs between the quays lived the
seafaring folk and those who worked for them, and those who worked for the
merchants.
London at one time was roughly divided into belts of population. The first
belt is that of the Service. It consists of the foreshore between Thames Street and
the river, with the lanes and houses upon it. The second is that of the Merchants,
between Thames Street and the Markets of West and East Chepe. The third is
that of the Markets. The fourth that of the Industries between the Markets and
the Wall.
As to the first : The Wall of London, when it was first erected, was carried along
the river from the south-west angle to the Walbrook. Beyond the Walbrook the
south wall of the Roman fortress formed a river-wall, which was continued as far as
the south-east angle.
Beyond that stream the south wall of the Roman fort was allowed to remain as
the river-side wall of the City, when all the rest of the Roman buildings, temples,
public edifices, tombs, and villas were ruthlessly pulled down to build the wall
towards the end of the fourth century.
Now, the wall between the south-west angle and the Walbrook ran along the
192 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
middle of Thames Street. At the time of its construction there were, therefore, no
buildings between the wall and the river. It was built about the middle of the bank,
which sloped to the river below, with a narrow stretch of mud at low tide ; and above
it rose on the hill which still exists, to the higher ground on which the City stood.
The breadth of the foreshore varied, but, of course, it was not very great. The first
break in the wall was that which allowed for the waters of the Walbrook. Here
there was the first port — the Roman port. It may have been the only port, unless,
in their haste to complete the wall, which was undoubtedly built under the pressure
of panic, the builders deliberately excluded other ports. In that case there may
have been many, for nothing was easier than to make a small port, such as the two
which still remain of Billingsgate and Oueenhithe. A small square space was dug
in the mud and shingle of the foreshore. It was maintained by piles placed close
together along the three sides of the square, leaving the fourth side open for the
ships. Other piles furnished support for wharves and quays.
It is therefore quite possible that there may have been other such ports. Puddle
Dock may have been one. In the absence of any evidence which might lead one
even to form a conjecture, we may believe that Oueenhithe, originally Edred's hithe,
was of later, or Saxon, construction ; while Billingsgate, close to London Bridge and
Bridge Gate, was probably still earlier.
What happened, therefore, was this : On the increase of trade, when London
was again settled in the sixth century, wharves and quays began to be pushed out on
piles upon the foreshore of Billingsgate and Walbrook, or afterwards at other places,
when a break in the wall allowed access to the. City. When Oueenhithe was
constructed as an additional port, another break was needed in the wall, and wharves
and quays were built along this part of the foreshore as well. The erection of the
wharf on piles was speedily followed by the erection of tenements for the people
between the wharf and the wall on the bank. The wharf extended laterally ; the
houses grew up laterally with the wharf; the wharf was pushed out farther upon the
mud of the low tide ; the wall was broken into here and there at intervals, continually
growing less in length. These breaks are marked, possibly, by the ancient stairs,
such as those of Paul's Wharf and Trig Stairs.
In a word, the whole of the first belt, that of the Service, is later than the
Roman wall. It belongs, therefore, to the Saxon period, and in great part, perhaps,
to the early Norman times. It seems likely that, if the riverside wall had been
pierced or broken in parts, the Danish and Norwegian besiegers would have attacked
the City at those vulnerable points. A narrow stream, such as Walbrook, with
wharves on either side^ could be easily defended by chains drawn across ; but a
dozen places where the wall was broken — and there was nothing to defend it
except wooden wharves and wooden huts — would have been difficult to defend.
Thames Street in later times, when the wall had disappeared, became the most
193
>3
194 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
crowded, the most busy part of the City. Its south side was wholly occupied by
wharves, warehouses, and the dwellings of the working, people, the Service of the
port. On the north side and in the streets rising up the hill were the houses of the
merchants and the better class — the second belt of the City. Here stood the town-
houses of the nobles among the equally stately houses of the merchants. Here
kings were entertained by the mayors and aldermen. The great number of
churches shows not only the crowded condition of this part, but also the
wealth of the merchants by whom the churches were founded, rebuilt, adorned,
and endowed.
The breadth of the foreshore as at present built upon varies from 150 feet at its
narrowest, which is at the western end, to 450 feet at its broadest, which is on either
side of the Walbrook. The modern breadth, however, must not be taken to represent
the breadth in the twelfth century. The excavations for London Bridge in 1831
disclosed three distinct lines of piles, representing three several occasions when
the foreshore was built upon. And the oldest plan of London, called after one Agas,
clearly represents the erection by the riverside built upon piles. There are no
churches on this belt of reclaimed land. As it was gradually added to the City, so
it was gradually added to the riverside parishes. Four churches are built on the
south side of Thames Street, viz. Allhallows the Great, Allhallows the Less,
St. Botolph, and St. Magnus. The dedication of the last two proclaims their late
origin. The last, for instance, must belong to the late eleventh or the twelfth
century. The very small size to which the parishes would be reduced if we took
away the reclaimed foreshore seems to indicate that much was reclaimed before the
Norman Conquest. The dedication of the churches along Thames Street — St.
Peter, St. James, St. Michael, St. Mary, St. Andrew — has been supposed to indicate
the site of Roman churches. Perhaps the parish boundaries may have been adjusted
from time to time.
" Roomland " was the name given to the quays and the adjacent plots of land
of Oueenhithe, Dowgate, Billingsgate, etc., whereon goods might be discharged out
of vessels arriving there.
In 131 1 and in 1349 we find mention of houses built upon " la Romeland " by
St. Michael, Queenhithe. In 1338, and again in 1349, we read of a tenement near
the King's garden upon le Romelonde, near the Tower. In 1339 we learn that there
was a Roomland in the parish of Allhallows Barking. After 1374 we find no
more mention of any Roomland. Perhaps the limits of the quays were by this time
contracted and defined; perhaps the foreshore had been enlarged and the "land"
behind had been built upon.
Thames Street was the Exchange, the place of meeting for the merchants.
One supposes, however, that the lesser sort transacted business at the taverns.
Here walked in great dignity Aylwin of London Stone, the first mayor ; W'hittington,
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 195
Philpott, Rokesley, and the Beckets, Faringdons, Wahvorths, Sevenokes, and all
the great men of the City, each in his generation, not only building up their
own fortunes, but fighting against disorder and crime in their wards, and against
encroachments from the sovereign.
The Fire swept through the street, raging among the stores of the warehouses,
laying low churches, destroying monuments, and burning up old memories and
associations.
The warehouses were at once rebuilt, but, according to Malcolm (1803), many
of the buildings had in his time become ruinous or decayed. There is very little
left of the building immediately after the Fire : hardly a single warehouse, and on
the north side only one or two of the mansions built by the merchants. The two
ports, Billingsgate and Oueenhithe, still remain, though the trade of the City is no
longer carried on upon the quays. The Custom House still stands very nearly on
its old site ; the bridge has been moved farther west ; there are other City bridges
— Blackfriars and Southwark ; one can still walk down lanes as narrow as when they
were first reclaimed from the foreshore ; and there are still one or two of these
narrow lanes where, as of old, the people of the Service live.
The following is a list of the old signs in Thames Street :
"The \\'hite Bear" inn ; " The White Lion" inn near London Bridge ; " The
White Lion" inn at the White Lion Wharf; "The Blew Ancor " inn; " The Old
Swan " inn ; " The Bull Head "inn ; " The Naggs Head Tavern " inn ; " The Princes
Arms" inn ; "The Fling Hors" inn ; "The Lion and Key" inn ; "The Black Bell
inn ; " The Woodmongers Arms " inn ; " The Crose Bulets " inn ; "The Suggar Lofe "
inn ; " The Lobster" inn ; " The Bear and Ragged Staff" inn ; " The Two Fighting
Cocks" inn ; "The Blue Boar and Three Horse Shoes" inn ; " The Horse Shoe"
inn ; " The Royal Arms on Shield " inn ; " The Cross against Barkin Church " inn.
Thames Street itself is the subject of a great many references in the Calendar of
Wills dated from 1275 to 1688. The earliest is in 1275, after which they occur
repeatedly. In 1280 a tenement is mentioned as that of Ernald Thedmar ; in 1282
Henry de Coventre bequeathed to his wife his mansion in the Vintry from Thames
Street to the waterside.
So far, we have spoken of Thames Street and the riverside generally ; let us
now take our section in detail.
Only a short way to the north lay Ludgate, one of the principal entrances to
the City.
Ludgate can hardly have been so named later than the Norman Conquest. Stow,
in his e.xplanation of the ancient street leading from Aldgate to Ludgate, clearly
conveys the belief that it was an ancient gate. Perhaps the necessity of land com-
munications from the City to Westminster caused the piercing of this gate and the
construction of the causeway and the bridge over the valley and stream of the PMeet.
196 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
In that case, one would naturally think of King Knut and his palace at Westminster.
The name is said to mean a postern.
Ludgate was either repaired or rebuilt in 12 15, when the barons, in arms against
King John, entered London and destroyed the houses of the Jews, using the stones
in the restoration of the City walls and of Ludgate more especially. Stow records a
curious confirmation of this circumstance, the discovery, when the gate was rebuilt
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, of a stone with a Hebrew inscription, signifying the
sign or note of Rabbi Moses, the son of Rabbi Isaac. On the east side, in a niche,
on this renewal, were placed the statues of Lud and his two sons in Roman costumes ;
and on the west side the statue of Queen Elizabeth. When the gates were taken
down (1761-62), Lud and his sons were given by the City to Sir Francis Gosling,
who intended to set them up at the east end of St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleet Street.
This, however, he did not carry into effect, and the king and his two sons were
deposited in the parish bone-house. The statue of Elizabeth met with a better fate,
having a niche assigned it in the outer wall of old St. Dunstan's, Fleet Street. The
Lud gate of 1586 was gutted in the Great Fire, and the stonework seriously injured.
Ludgate was first erected into a prison in the reign of Richard II., and was
anciently appropriated to the freemen of the City and to clergymen. The place
soon became too small for the growing occasions of the City, and it was enlarged at
the expense of Dame Agnes Forster, widow of Stephen Forster, mayor in 1454.
" Formerly Debtors that were not able to satisfy their debts, put themselves
into this prison of Ludgate for shelter from their creditors. And these were
merchants and tradesmen who had been driven to want by losses at sea. When
King Philip, in the month of August, 1554, came first through London, these
prisoners were thirty in number, and owed 10,000 pounds, but compounded for
2000 pounds, who represented a well-penned Latin speech to that Prince to redress
their miseries, and by his royal generosity to free them. ' And the rather for that
place was not Sceleratorum Career, sed Rliserorum Custodia, i.e. a gaol for villains,
but a place of restraint for poor unfortunate men ; And that they were put in there,
not by others, but themselves fled thither ; and that not out of fear of punishment,
but in hope of better fortune.' The whole letter was drawn by the curious pen of
Roger Ascham, and is extant among his epistles, Lib. III." (Cunningham).
The rules and customs of Ludgate are given by Strype :
" If a freeman or freewoman of London be committed to Ludgate, they are to
be excused from the Ignominy of irons, if they can find sureties to be true prisoners,
and if the sum be not above .^{^100. There is another custom for the liberal and
mild imprisonment of the citizens in Ludgate ; whereby they have indulgence and
favour to go abroad into any place, under the guard and superintendency of their
keeper ; with whom they must return again to the prison at night.
" This custom is not to hinder and delay Justice nor to defraud men of their debts
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 197
and executions, as it is quarrelled against by some, but serves for a mitigation of
their punishment ; and tends rather for the expedition of their discharge, and
speedy satisfaction of their creditors. While they may go and inform them-
selves, upon their mutual reckonings, both what they owe, and what is due unto
them." For further account of this prison see London in the Eighteenth Century,
pp. 581-87.
In the year 1659, one Marmaduke Johnson, a prisoner in Ludgate, presented a
memorandum on the prison and its Government to the Lord Mayor. In this docu-
ment he sets forth the history of the prison, its constitution and laws, its officers, its
charities, and the grievances of the prisoners.
A great many benefactors have left money to the prison, amounting in all to
about ^60 a year. In addition, the Lord Mayor allowed the prisoners a basket of
broken meat every day ; and provisions of some kind were every day, to some small
extent, bestowed upon them by the markets. Besides which there were two grates,
one in Ludgate, and the other on the Blackfriars side, where all day long a man
stood crying, " Pity the poor prisoners." There were about fifty of the prisoners
" on the Charity," as it was called. But the warders and turnkeys, by their exactions,
got most of the money.
Ludgate Hill was formerly Bowyer Lane. On the south, until a few years
ago, were to be seen some fragments of London Wall, now vanished.
On the top of Ludgate Hill, and on the west side of St. Paul's, Digby, Grant,
Winter, and Bates were e.xecuted, January 30. 1606, for their participation in the
Gunpowder Plot.
The houses on the south side of the hill were set back when the street was
widened in modern times. On the north side there are several old ones.
ST. MARTIN, LUDGATE
This church was rebuilt in 1437 for Sir John Michael, then mayor, but was destroyed by the Great
Fire, and rebuilt from the designs of Wren in 1684. The benefice was united with the united benefices
of St. Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, and St. Gregory by St Paul's, by Order in Council, 1890. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1322.
The patronage of the church, long before 1322, was in the hands of: The Abbot and Convent of
Westminster ; Henry VIII., who seized it and granted it to the Bishop of Westminster, January 20, 1540-41 ;
the Bishop of London, by grant of Edward AT., 1550, confirmed by (^ueen Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in
whose successors it continued
Houseling people in 1548 were 476.
The interior of the church is noticeable as being broader and higher than it is long, its width being
66 feet, height 59 feet, and length 51 feet. The appearance is rendered cruciform by four composite
columns, which, with pilasters on the walls, support entablatures at the angles of the church. The ceiling
is lowered in the quadrangular corners thus formed. The tower rises at the centre of the south front, and
contains three stories ; this is concluded by a cornice, above which there is a narrow stone stage sur-
mounted by an octagonal cupola, with a lantern and balcony. The steeple is completed by a tapering
1 98
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDOxN
spire, with ball, finial, and vane; its height is 158 feet. It is said to have been especially built by Wren
to form a foreground to the towering dome of St. Paul's.
Chantries were founded here by : William Sevenoke, whose endowment fetched ^3 : 6 : 8 in 1548 ;
Michael de London and John le Hatte, augmented by Roger Payn, William Pows, Simon Newell, and
Thomas Froddashame, to which John de Derby was admitted as chaplain, January 11, 1392-93, on being
vacated by Roger Shirrene ; William Alsone, who also founded chantries in Northants and Derbys.
William Sevenoke, grocer, who founded a free school and almshouses in the town of Sevenoaks,
Photochfom Co.. ttii.
LUDGATE CIRCUS A.NI) I.UDGAIE HILl.
Kent, Mayor of London, 141 9, was buried here and commemorated by a monument. The other
monuments recorded by Stow are of little note. No benefactors are recorded by Stow.
Sixty boys and fifty girls, belonging to the charity school of the ward, were clothed and disposed of
(when fit) by subscriptions from the inhabitants.
William Glyn (d. 1558), Bishop of Bangor, was rector here; also Richard Rawlins (d. 1536), Bishop
of St. David's.
On LucIo;ate Hill we find also Stationers' Court, where is the Stationers'
O
Ha:
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
199
THE STATIONERS COMPANY
The Company was incorporated in 1557, but it is believed tliat a brotherhood or society existed
upwards of a century and a half previously, called the Brotherhood or Society of Text-writers.
There was a Gild of Stationers as early as the beginning of the fifteenth century. It appears to have
been a branch of the Scriveners, and to have left them to carry on the preparation of legal documents
while they themselves took over the production of books. The charter of the Company shows that it was
regarded as a company of printers, and that Queen Mary intended it to be especially a guard against the
issue of heretical doctrines.
The original charter was destroyed in the Fire of London, but the Company have a copy of it ;
Drawn by Tile's. II. Stiff Ittrit
SI Al IiiNEKs' HALL IN 1830
also of the charter granted by \Villiam and Mary, confirming the privileges granted by the charter
of 1556.
The Company has continued ever since its incorporation, and still is, a trade guild consisting e.\-
clusively of members of the trade of a stationer, printer, publisher, or bookmaker, and their children, and
descendants born free. The greater number of printers' apprentices in the City of London are bound at
Stationers' Hall, and the Company's pensioners, and the recipients of the charities under their control, are
principally journeymen printers, compositors, and pressmen.
The Company was originally established for the purpose of fostering and encouraging the trade of a
printer, publisher, and stationer, and from the time of its original foundation to this date a limited number
of liverymen of the Company have carried on at Stationers' Hall the trade of a publisher for their own
benefit, and a division of profits has been annually made amongst the partners. Other portion of the
profits has been distributed annually amongst poor freemen of the Company, applied towards the necessary
expenses of the Company, and invested in the purchase of the hall and premises adjoining. The capital
for this trade was originally subscribed by the members of the Company in certain proportions or shares.
200 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
and these shares have been regularly transmitted from time to time since 1605, as in the case of shares of
trade companies.
The copyright registry was first established by the Company at the commencement of the sixteenth
century or even earlier. It would appear from the ancient records that a register of copies had existed
previous to the incorporation. In 1565 rules were made by the Company regulating the transmission of
copies upon the decease of the owner, and requiring them to be entered in the books of the Company.
In 1584 the Privy Council (through the Lord Mayor) ordered that all copies should be entered in the
Company's register, and copyrights were from time to time transferred by entries in these registers. Between
1580 and 1615, there are letters from the Lords of the Council and the Lord Mayor calling attention to
the publication of certain books of a traitorous or mischievous tendency. There is no mention of any
power or authority belonging to the Stationers Company for the suppression of these books. On one
occasion the Wardens of that Company are ordered to produce the printer of a certain pamphlet with
the person who was circulating it. Various orders were from time to time issued by the Lords of the
Privy Council and High Commissioners, regulating printing. In 1660 a committee of the House of
Commons was appointed to prepare a Bill regulating printing, and in 1662 the Bill was passed, and
was known as the Licensing Act. It required all printed works to be registered at Stationers' Hall.
This Act expired in 1681, and in 1710 the first copyright Act was passed, which has been superseded
by the Act of 1842. The Act of 17 10 required copies to be entered at Stationers' Hall before
publication, and the Act of 1842 makes entry at Stationers' Hall a condition precedent to the title
to sue for protection against infringements. As a printer, not as a novelist, Samuel Richardson was a
member.
The most ancient hall stood in Milk Street, Cheapside, but in 1553 the Company moved to St.
Peter's College, near the Deanery of St. Paul's, and in 161 1 they purchased Abergavenny House in
Stationers' Court. This was burnt in the Great Fire. The present building was erected in 1670, and in
1805 the exterior was cased in Portland stone, according to a design by the Company's architect, Robert
Mylne, F.R.S.
The present livery is 284 ; the Corporate Income is but small, and the Trust Income ^1200.
The Company formerly published almanacks, primers, "A.B.C.'s," psalters, and school books, in
which they maintained a valuable monopoly until the middle of the eighteenth century, when it was declared
illegal.
The Company established a school at Bolt Court, Fleet Street, in 1861 ; this is now at Ridge Road,
Hornsey. The school has accommodation for more than three hundred boys.
This corner of London to the south of Ludgate Hill was covered with narrow
lanes and courts into which light was admitted by the construction of Queen Victoria
Street. It is the site of the Blackfriars' PrecillCt. This house was in the hands
of the Dominicans. See Meduevai London, vol. ii. p. 354.
Church Entry marks the site of
St. Anne, Blackfriars, standing adjacent to the walls of Blackfriars' Monastery ; it was consecrated
in 1597 by Edmund Stanhope, Doctor of Laws, by virtue of a commission from the Bishop of London.
It was enlarged on the south side in 161 3, which was consecrated by the Bishop of London in 161 7. The
church was burnt down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, but the parish was annexed to St. Andrew
by the Wardrobe. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1597.
The patronage was in the hands of the Crown and parishioners alternately, since the Great Fire when
it was burnt down, and the parish w-as annexed to St. .Andrew by the ^Vardrobe; before this the parishioners
presented.
Isaac Oliver, miniature painter, was buried here.
The charities and reliefs recorded in this parish were few. John Bobhurst was a donor of ^,{^2 per
a
z
o
202 . SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
annum, also Edward Corbet and Mrs. Miller. The greatest benefactor was Peter Jorge, who founded a
free school, appointing Sion College trustees.
Forty boys and thirty girls were to be taught reading and writing, and some useful work besides. All
were to be given clothing once a year and two to be put out as apprentices. The school was endowed with
;^i5o a year, and salaries for teachers. As there were many tailors among the foundation, the children
of such were to have preference of admission (Stow and Strype).
St. Anne's had some notable vicars, among them William Gouge (or Goughe), D.D., forty-six years
minister of the parish. In November 1633 "Mr. William Goughe, Doctor of Divinity, prayed to be
admitted freeman of the Society of Apothecaries, and was so."
On the west is an open space fairly wide, with asphalt centre and scrubby
bushes round. This is jealously guarded by iron rails and wall from all intruders.
It was sacred ground, the churchyard, though there are no monuments or stones
left to bear testimony. Close beside the churchyard in a carpenter's shop are certain
old arches belonging to the Dominicans' Buildings.
Westward there is a small court, called Fleur-de-Lys, on the west side of St. Anne's
churchyard, which escaped the Fire, though here the Fire had raged most hotly.
A little consideration will show the reason. An open space called Church Entry lay
between the backs of the Fleur-de-Lys Houses and St. Anne's Church and church-
yard. Now the church stood high, and during the continuance of the Fire the wind
blew steadily from the east. The view of the City after the Fire shows that the walls
of the churches and of many houses were still standing. Therefore, even though
the roof was burned, the flames blew over this court, while, when the roof had fallen,
the walls of the church sheltered the little court on the other side. I dare say that,
had we a more exact account of the Fire, it would be found that many houses or
courts escaped in the same way.
" Eminent inhabitants — (of Blackfriars), Isaac Oliver, the miniature-painter.
He died here in 16 17, and was buried in St. Anne's, Blackfriars. Lady Ayres,
wishing to have a copy of Lord Herbert of Cherbury's picture to wear in her bosom,
went 'to Mr. Isaac the painter in Blackfriars, and desired him to draw it in little
after his manner.' — Cornelius Jansen, the painter (d. 1665). He lived in the
Blackfriars for several years, and had much business, but left it a little before Van
Dyck's arrival. Sir Anthony Van Dyck, from his settlement in England in 1632,
to his death in 1641. The rent of his house, 'at a moderate value,' was estimated,
in 1638, at .;^20, and the tithe paid £\ :6 : 8. His daughter Justina was born here
December i, 1641, and baptised in St. Anne's, Blackfriars, December 9, 1641, the
day of her father's death. Ben Jonson, who dates his dedication of Volpone or The
Fox 'from my house in the Blackfriars, this nth day of February, 1607.' Here
he has laid the scene of The Alchemist. The Earl and Countess of Somerset were
living in the Blackfriars when Overbury was murdered. The precinct no longer
exists, but is now a part of the ward of Farringdon Within. I have not been able
to trace any attempt to assert its privileges later than 1735, when in the July of that
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
20"
year the Court of Common Council brought an action against Daniel Watson, for
opening a shop and vending shoes in the Blackfriars without being free of the City.
The court of King's Bench gave it in favour of the City. The sheriffs could arrest
here many years before " (Cunningham).
Note that the Earl of Northumberland had a town house in i6i 2 in the unfashion-
able precinct of Blackfriars.
Within the precinct were — and are — several places of interest. The Blackfriars
FLEUR-DE-LYS COURT
Theatre was built in 1576. It was rebuilt or extensively repaired in 1596 when
Shakespeare and Richard Burbage were sharers. In 1633 it was let by Cuthbert
and William Burbage for a rent of ^50. The building was pulled down in 1655
and tenements put up in its place. Playhouse Yard preserves the memory of the
theatre.
Standing at the western end of Queen Victoria Street and taking a general view
we see St. Paul's Station of the L.H. and S.C. Railway. Water Lane runs by the
railway. Here is the Apothecaries' Hall.
204 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
THE APOTHECARIES COMPANY
Two opposite forces acted upon the City Companies : one separating them and multiplying Companies
for different parts of the same trade or craft ; the other uniting in one Company crafts which were related
chiefly by using the same material. Thus the Barbers divided into Barbers and Surgeons ; the Grocers
into Grocers and Apothecaries ; while at one time the Weavers included in their body all those trades
which had to do with woven stuffs, and were so powerful that they threatened to rule the whole City. It
happened sometimes that some trades were injured by the inability of the Company to look after them.
Thus it was quite natural that the Grocers who imported drugs and spices and oils used by Apothecaries
should include these persons in their own livery. But, the wardens not being skilled in the use of medical
prescriptions and preparations, could not look after their own people. Consequently complaints became
general of the ignorance and incompetence of Apothecaries for want of prpper supervision. Towards the
end of the sixteenth century these complaints were brought forward categorically. It took time for the
matter to be understood, and it was not until 1617 that James bestowed a separate charter upon the
Apothecaries in spite of the remonstrances of the Grocers.
The objects of this charter, concisely stated, are to restrain the Grocers (the former associates of
the Apothecaries) or any other City Company from keeping an apothecary's shop or e.xercising the " art,
faculty, or mystery of an apothecary within the City of London or a radius of seven miles." To allow no
one to do so unless apprenticed to an apothecary for seven years at least, and at the expiration of such
apprenticeship such apprentice to be approved and allowed by the master and wardens and representatives
of the College of Physicians, before being permitted to keep an apothecary's shop, or prepare, dispense,
commix, or compound medicines. To give the right of search within the City of London or a radius
of seven miles of the shops of apothecaries or others, and " prove " the drugs, and to examine within the
same radius all persons "professing, using, or exercising the art or mystery of apothecaries."
It also confers the power to burn "before the offender's doors" any unwholesome drugs, and to
summon the offenders before the magistrates.
And to buy, sell, or make drugs. Up to the passing of the Apothecaries Act, 1815, so far as the
prescribed radius extended, the three first-stated objects of the charter and the existence of the society
in relation to its members were identical. A member of the Society of Apothecaries and an apothecary of
the City of London or within seven miles were convertible terms.
As regards the fourth object prescribed by the charter, the Society, doubtless from its want of means,
has never itself until the present time bought, sold, or made drugs, but owing to the great difficulty of
its members obtaining pure drugs it allowed them to raise money themselves and create stock or shares
for that purpose, and to carry on such trade in the name of the Society for their own personal profit as
a private Company or partnership under various titles. Owing to such trade having ended in a loss,
this private partnership was dissolved in i88c, and the Society is now itself carrying on the trade at its
own risk.
As regards the three first-stated powers of the charter, the Society (by means of the Apothecaries Act
of 18 1 5) extended them so greatly as to effect not only a revolution in their own sphere of operations,
but also in the medical profession and in the relations subsisting between the latter and the general public.
This Act (after placing the right of search referred to in the third-stated power of the charter on a
more precise and practical basis, but to which it is unnecessary to allude as having fallen into necessary
desuetude by the various Pharmacy and Poisons Acts) created a court of 1 2 examiners to be appointed by
the master, wardens, and court of assistants, who were to examine all persons in England and Wales
as to their skill and ability in the science and practice of medicine, and five examiners to examine assistants
for the compounding and dispensing of medicine. It authorised the Society to receive fees for granting
the respective licences, and (saving the rights of the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons) it empowered
the Society to recover penalties for practising or compounding without such licences.
The Apothecaries Act, 1815, contained, however, two restrictions which were removed by the
Apothecaries Act Amendment Act, 1874, namely, (a) the obligation of the 12 examiners being members of
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 205
the Society of Apothecaries, and being of at least lo years' standing, and (/') of candidates for examination
having served an apprenticeship of five years to an apothecary.
The Act of 1874 also contains other provisions which relate more to questions of medical legislation
than this present inquiry. Shortly the effect of the Act of 1815 was to make the Society of Apothecaries
one of the three great medical licensing bodies for England and Wales [the number of its present licentiates
is between 8000 and 9000], and of the Act of 1874 was to throw open the Society's examinerships,
and to confer on it a freedom in reference to future medical reform to an extent not exceeded by any
other body.
The Company consists of about 400 members including the court, the livery, and the yeomanry or
freemen.
The hall, which stands on the eastern side of Water Lane, formerly consisted of the town house of Lady
Howard of Effingham. It was, of course, destroyed by the Fire, but the buildings which were erected after the
Fire have a delightful air of quiet and peace, such as belongs very fitly to a scientific society. The hall stands
behind a small paved court ; on the left hand is the shop, at the north end of the hall are the offices,
the library and the court rooms. The Physic Gardens at Chelsea also belong to the Apothecaries
on certain conditions, especially that the Company should every year present to the Royal Society fifty
dried specimens of plants growing in these gardens, till the number of 2000 was reached. As this was
in 1731, that number has long since passed and the Company's debt is paid.
Among the more eminent members of this Company have been William and John Hunter, Jenner,
Smollett, Humphry Davy, Dr. Sydenham, Erasmus ^Vilson, and Sir Spencer Wells. Oliver Goldsmith
and Keats were also members.
Printing House Square contained the King's Printing House.
"The first I have discovered was John Bill, who, 'at the King's Printing House
in Black Friars,' printed the proclamations of the reign of Charles II., and the first
London Gazette, established in that reign. Charles Eyre and William Strahan were
the last King's printers who resided here, and in February, 1770, the King's Printing
House was removed to New Street, near Gough .Square, in Fleet Street, where it now
is. The place still continues to deserve its name of Printing House Square, for
here every day in the week (Sunday excepted) The Times newspaper is printed and
published, and from hence distributed over the whole civilized world. This celebrated
paper, finding daily employment on the premises for between 200 and 300 people,
Avas established in 1788, — the first number appearing on the ist of January in that
year." (Cunningham.) The Times office is a very notable feature in Queen Victoria
Street by reason of its great height and conspicuous clock. Queen Victoria Street
and Upper Thames Street gradually diverge at a very acute angle. The former
is on a lower level than the latter, and is divided from it for about seventy yards
by a low wall only, with an open space crossed by steps. In Queen Victoria
Street on the left is the square tower of St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, outlined
in white stone, and thrown into relief by a rather ornamental red-brick building
which stands in front.
St. Andrew's Hill was sometimes called Puddle Dock Hill. In Ireland Yard
stood the house bought by Shakespeare in 161 2, and bequeathed by him to his
daughter Susanne Hall. In Green Dragon Court there stood, until a year or two
ago, one of the oldest of the London taverns from which the court took its name.
2o6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The Wardrobe. — On the north side of St. Andrew's church stands a small
square which, with its trees and the absence of vehicles or shops, is one of the most
quiet spots in the whole City. This square was formerly the court of the town house
built by Sir John Beauchamp (d. 1359), whose tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral was
commonly called Duke Humphrey's tomb. Before his death the house became
the property of King Edward HI. who made it a Royal Wardrobe House, and so
it remained until the Great Fire. James I. gave the collection of dresses — called by
Fuller a " Library of antiquaries wherein to read the fashion and mode of garments
in all ages" — to the Earl of Dunbar, by whom they were all sold and dispersed. The
wardrobe was taken after the Fire to the Savoy and then to Buckingham Street,
Strand. The last keeper was Ralph, Duke of Montagu (d. 1709).
When Charles V. came to England in 1522, among the lodgings assigned to his
suite was the house of Margaret Hanley, " under the Wardrobe side, having two
chambers and two beds."
Wardrobe Place is a delightful spot with an air of brooding quietness. The
houses are nearly all old "post fire," dating from about 200 years ago. That on
the east side of the entry is black with age, and the lines in the brickwork waver
as they cross its front. Next to it on the east side of the court is a plaster-fronted
one, and then a row of three dark-brick houses with the so-called "flat arch" of
brighter red bricks glowing above the rectangular windows. Nearly a dozen twisted
plane trees, all young, and measured by inches only in circumference, straggle
irregularly from the cobblestones of the courtyard. On the west side there are
charming houses in the same style as the above-mentioned. The largest of these,
No. 2, is wainscotted from floor to ceiling, and has in many rooms great projecting
fireplaces forming recesses on either side half the width of the rooms. From the
south-east corner there is a covered-in passage leading to the back of the Old Bell
Hotel, and with Wardrobe Chambers opening into them.
ST. ANDREW BY THE WARDROBE
The church derived its title from its proximity to the King's Wardrobe above described. It was
formerly called St. Andrew-juxta-Baynard's Castle. After the Great Fire, the church was rebuilt by Wren
and completed in 1692, and the parish of St. Anne, Blackfriars, was united with it. The earliest date
of an incumbent is 1261.
The patronage of this church was in the hands of: The family of Fitzwalter, Lords of Woodham,
1 36 1, which becoming extinct, it passed to Thomas, Lord Berkeley, then to Richard, Earl Warwick, who
married Berkeley's daughter ; the three daughters of the Countess of Warwick, viz. Lady Talbot,
afterwards Countess of Shrewsbury ; Lady Ross ; and Lady Latimer, afterwards Countess of Dorset in
1439; and the Crown, since St. Anne's, Blackfriars, was annexed to it.
Houseling people in 1548 were 450.
This church measures 75 feet in length, 59 in breadth, and 38 feet in height, and contains two
side aisles divided from the nave by square pillars, encased in wood to the height of the top of the
galleries. The ceiling is exceptionally fine, with beautifully moulded wreaths. The exterior is of red brick
3
a;
o
Q
y.
■X.
■r.
a:
X
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 207
with stone dressings. The tower, which is square and of four stories, rises at the south-west ; the tw'O
lower ones contain windows, the third a clock, and the highest has square-headed openings with louvres.
A cornice and balustrade complete the tower, which is about 86 feet in height.
Chantries were founded here by : John Parraunt, armiger, for himself and Clemencia his late
wife, and for John Log, alias Fo.xton, citizen and fishmonger, and Margaret, his wife (licence was
granted December 3, 1409; the endowment fetched ;^i2:3:4 in 1518 when Thomas Mores was
priest, "aged 54, meanly learned") ; Humphrey Talbot, whose endowment fetched £^1 : 6 : 8 in 1548.
There are three pyramidal monuments of white marble to three successive rectors — the Rev.
William Romaine, a celebrated preacher; the Rev. William Goode, rector in 1795; and the Rev. Isaac
Saunders, who held the living for nearly twenty years.
Some of the donors of charities were : John Lee, of a house and wharf, leased for jQ'^o per
annum ; Mrs. Paradine, ^£'3 per annum ; Mrs. Cleve, thirteen penny loaves to be dealt out every Sunday.
There was a free school founded by a private person for the benefit of the children of poor tailors,
where forty boys and thirty girls were taught and clothed. Also three almshouses maintained by the
rent of an adjoining house, built partly by charity of the Lady Elizabeth, Viscountess Chomondeley, and
partly at the expense of the inhabitants, in 1679.
Among the most notable of the rectors were: Philip Baker (d. 1601), ViceChancellor Cambridge
University; William Savage (d. 1736), Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge; William Romaine
(1714-1795), Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London; \\'illiam Goode (1762-1816), President
of Sion College; John Harding (1805-74), Bishop of Bombay.
A little passage, right-of-way to the public, goes round the north and east
sides of the church, and at the corner where this joins St. Andrew's Hill stands
the old Rectory House. This is a charming old building, dating from soon after
the Fire. There is, curiously enough, no oak in the woodwork, excepting only in
the cross-pieces of the window-frames. The fireplace in the study is of interest,
fashioned of marble and tiles set in polished wood ; and on the overmantel there
is a little slab bearing the words, all in capital letters :
Laus Deo per Jesum Christum. Church Missionary Society, Instituted April 12, 1799, in this
room ; the committee meetings of the Society were held from June 17, 1799, to January 3, 1812 : and here
on January 2, 1804, its first missionaries were appointed to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
The house betrays its age in all its lines, and though there is no other special feature
worthy of comment in it, the tiny garden behind is well worth a visit ; it contains a
plane-tree, and is a curious little oasis in a wilderness of bricks and mortar.
Queen Victoria Street was only begun in 1867-68 as a direct thoroughfare
from the embankment to the Mansion House. It was formally opened November 4,
1871.
The headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society is solidly designed,
with pilasters running up the front between the windows. Over the great door,
supported by blocks of polished granite, is a heavy stone balcony, and three smaller
balconies project from the windows above. An ornamental cornice runs round
the roof The architect was Mr. Edward I'Anson.
The library contains the P'ry collection of English Bibles, the most complete
2o8 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
ever made. This was purchased by the Society for ^6000. It includes a copy
of the earliest edition of Coverdale printed abroad 1535, and one of the earliest
editions printed in England two years later. In the cases about the room are many
objects of interest — a German Bible printed 1473 ; Codex Zacynthus, a palimpsest,
of which the earlier writing is supposed to date from the fifth or sixth century, the
later from the twelfth. The Society was founded in 1S04. Its object is simply to
" circulate the Bible without note or comment, in all languages and in all lands."
Since its foundation over 140 million copies of the Bible, whole or in parts,
have been issued. The Society now produces the Bible in about 330 languages and
dialects. The University Press monopolises the printing of English Bibles, and
much of the printing of the Society in foreign languages is done abroad. The only
actual printing carried on in Queen Victoria Street is that done by one man, who
works with two hand-presses for the blind. But the issue of fresh cojaies by the
Society comes to an average of 13,000 for every working day.
The General Post Office Savings Bank offices, with a frontage of about 2^0
feet, are next door. The garden belonging to the old Doctors Commons stretched
across the roadway at this point, and was only finally cleared away in 1867 at the
making of the new street.
The Heralds' College or College of Arms is a fine old building in deep-coloured
brick. The front stands back from the street, and is supported by two wings.
The small courtyard resulting is separated from the street front by high iron railings
and gates. There are two brick and stone piers at each gateway, with that favourite
ornament of the Stuart period — stone balls — on their summits. The back of the
eastern wing abuts on Peter's Hill, and the wide, outside flap shutters of an old-
world style give the little hill a quaint aspect. The College was rebuilt after
the Fire, and restored at the opening of Queen Victoria Street. It was originally
Derby House, built by the first Earl of Derby and presented in 1555 by Queen
Mary to the then Garter King- of- Arms ; so it has long been devoted to its
present use. Returning to Queen Victoria Street we see opposite in enormous gilt
letters, each four or five feet long, "Salvation Army International Headquarters "
riirht across the front of a great building.
Addle Hill, like Addle Street, is supposed to be derived from the Saxon
Adel, noble. It has been found written Adling Hill. The whole space between
Addle Hill and Bell Yard, and between Queen Victoria Street and Carter Lane,
with the exception of Knightrider Street, is now occupied by General Post Office
Savings Bank Department. Northward, on the south side of St. Paul's Churchyard,
near the west end, was the church of St. Gregory mentioned elsewhere.
Carter Lane was formerly divided into Great and Little Carter Lane. From
the Bell Inn, Bell Yard, in Carter Lane, the only letter addressed to Shakespeare
that is known to exist was sent to him by Richard Quiney — "To my loveing good
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
209
friend and country man, Mr. William Shakespeare, deliver these." Bell Yard led
to the Prerogative Will Office, Doctors' Commons.
Carter Lane, also called Shoemakers' Row, is mentioned in the Calendar of
Wills in the year 1295. The west end still retains that name in Ogilby's map of
1677. In 1424 the exchequer paid to John Kyllyngham, master of a house called
The Bell in Carter Lane, the sum of ;^l7:i4:8 for costs and expenses of Sir
Gilbyn de Lauvoy, knight, and John de la Roe, Esq., and their servants and horses
for twenty-eight days. The said Sir Gilbyn and John de la Roe had been sent to the
Putcriat Agency.
THE COLLEGE OF ARMS
Holy Land by Henry V. "upon certain important causes." Deeds of the fourteenth
century speak of tenements in Carter Lane. In this street were several taverns of
note such as the White Horse, the Sun, the Bell, and the Saracen's Head. Here was
a famous meeting-house in which many of the most distinguished of Nonconformist
ministers preached.
Here is the school for St. Paul's choir -boys, with a stencilled frieze. The
playground is on the roof
Creed Lane was formerly called Sporier Row. An inn in Sporier Row is
assigned in the fifteenth century by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's to their
canons. After the Fire there were differences as to the sites and boundaries of
'4
2IO SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
houses destroyed in Creed Lane. The Lane was widened in 1750 as one of the
improvements made at that time.
Dean's Court has now warehouses erected on the north and east sides. The
house over the archway was said to have been occupied by Sir Christopher Wren
as his office during the building of St. Paul's. Within this court were also the
vicar general's, the commissary and the consistory courts, and offices for procuring
marriage licences.
St. Peter's College adjoined Dean's Court on the west side in St. Paul's
Churchyard (see under the Stationers Company, p. 199).
When Charles V. came to London in 1522, Doctors' Commons among other
places furnished for his suite a hall, a parlour, and three chambers with feather beds.
Mention is made of the dining - hall of Doctors' Coinmons and of the " entre
going into the great canonicale House now naymed the Doctors' Commons with a
chamber over the said entre," and of other parts of the building.
This ancient College or House of Doctors of Law was swept away in 1861-67
in consequence of alterations in legal procedure. The courts were removed, and
the business of the proctors was merged in the ordinary work of the High Courts
of Justice and the Bar.
The Deanery itself is on the west side standing back behind a high brick wall,
painted yellow. It is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, and was built soon after
the Great Fire. The stone piers of the gates are surmounted by cones. The
building itself is tiled with three dormer windows standing out from the roof and
heavy projecting eaves. In the interior there is no carving or anything of anti-
quarian interest calling for remark, but the front door has some rich wood-carving
in the style of Grinling Gibbons.
Paul's Chain and the greater part of St. Bennet's Hill are now Godliman
Street. The origin of the name "Godliman" is unknown. Cunningham says that
the earliest mention of the name is 1732. It is not found in Ogilby nor in Strype.
It has been spelt "Godalmin."
A little court named Paul's Bakehouse seems to have been asleep while the
rest of the world passed it by. It is true the house immediately fronting the entry
is covered with ugly yellow plaster, but it is by no means obtrusively modern, and
if we except an iron railing in the corner over an area in the north-east, and the
house above it, the remainder of the court has been touched by time alone since
it left the builders' hands in the seventeenth century. The houses on the north and
south sides are of brick ; the northern ones bulge forward out of the perpendicular,
and they have low wooden doorways. That in the south-west corner is supported
by grooved pilasters. The northern building claims a better staircase in the interior
— a staircase with spiral balusters and carved woodwork, low and substantial.
Knightrider Street. — Why this street should be named, as Stow says,
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
21 I
"after knights riding" more than any other street, it is impossible to explain. One
may, however, suppose that it was named after some branch of the Armourers' or
Loriners' Craft. Dr. Linacre lived here. Knightrider Street now extends to
Queen Victoria Street, but formerly the eastern part from Old Change was called
Old Fish Street. Do Little Lane, between Carter Lane and Knightrider Street,
now Knightrider Court, is found in many ancient documents called " Dolite,"
" D(i Lvttle," " Doellttle" in deeds of Edwards I., II., and III.
doctors' commons, iSoS
From a drawing by Rowlandson and Pugin.
ST. NICHOLAS COLE ABBEY
The church stands in Knightrider Street ; it has been known by several other names, Coldenabbey,
Coldbey, etc. It was burnt down in the (Jreat Fire, and rebuilt from the designs of Sir Christopher Wren
in 1677, when the parish of St. Nicholas Olave was annexed. In 1873 it was thoroughly repaired. Four
other parishes were subsequently united. The earliest date of. an incumbent is 13 19.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Dean of St. Martin's-le-Grand, then the Abbot
and Convent of Westminster, 1532. Henry VIII., who seized it, and so continued in the Crown till Queen
Elizabeth granted it in 1559 to Thomas Reeve and George Evelyn, from whom it passed to several private
persons and at length came to the Hacker family in 1575, one of whom. Colonel Francis Hacker, was
212 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
involved in the beheading of Charles I. ; he was finally executed as a traitor, his estate including this
advowson being forfeited and thus it came to the Crown, and so continued until St. Nicholas Olave was
annexed after the Great Fire, when the patronage was shared alternately with the Dean and Chapter of
St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 154S were i3o.
The interior of the church, which contains no aisles, measures 63 feet in length, 43 feet in breadth,
and 36 feet in height. The steeple, which rises at the north-west, consists of a tower of four stories
concluded by a cornice with urns at each angle ; above this a spire rises, completed by a balcony, and
supporting a square pedestal with a finial, ball, and vane. The total height is about 135 feet.
Chantries were founded here : By John Sywarde and Thomas Blode, who endowed it with lands
which fetched £6 in 1548, when Anthony Little was priest " of 50 years and of mean learning " ; by John
Tupley, who left lands and tenements valued at :£-i.2 : 8 : 4 in 1548, when Ralph Jackson was priest "of 30
years of age and very well learned " ; Thomas Barnard, John Saunderash, and William Cogshale, who gave
their lands in Distaff Lane to endow the same, which yielded £■] : 6 : 8 in 1548, when William Benson was
priest, "46 years of age, and a very poor and sickly man."
The church contained no monuments of any special note. ^Valter Turke, mayor in 1349, was
interred here.
Barnard Randolph bequeathed ;^goo to this parish and St. Mary Magdalene for charities ; he died
in 1583. No other names are recorded by Stow.
Herbert Kynaston (1809-1878), High Master of St. Paul's School, was rector here. But the most
notable among the rectors is the most recent, Prebendary Shuttleworth, whose death in 1900 left a gap
difficult to fill. Among the most notable of his social schemes was the foundation of a social club for
young men and women who work in the City (see p. 219).
Old Fish Street, partly wiped out by Knightrider Street, was a row of narrow
houses built alonof the middle of the street like the old houses at Holborn Bars, or
like Butchers' Row behind St.^ Clement Danes ; or like Holywell Street, Strand.
Stow says :
" These houses, now possessed by fishmongers, were at the first but moveable
boards or stalls, set out on market-days to show their fish sold ; but procuring license
to set up sheds, they grew to shops, and by little and little to tall houses of three or
four stories in height, and now are called Fish Street."
St. Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, was situated on the north side of Knightrider Street
at the west corner of the Old Change. It was destroyed by the Great Fire, and subsequently rebuilt and
made the parish church for this and the parish of St. Gregory; but it was again burnt down in 1SS6, and
has not been rebuilt.
In 1890 these two parishes were united to St. Martin, Ludgate. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1162.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, as a vicarage,
about II 62, but about 131 9 it was a rectory in the same patronage and has so continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 360.
The church formerly contained a considerable number of monuments, but the individuals com-
memorated were of comparatively little note. Among them was one, Barnard Randolph, common
sergeant of the City of London, and benefactor of the parish. He died in 1583.
Some of the charitable gifts recorded by Stow are : A messuage, leased at ;^28 per annum, the gift
of Thomas Berry; 40s. per annum, the gift of Justice Randall; ^3 : iSs. per annum, the gift of the
Company of Wax Chandlers.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 213
111 St. Gregory's Parish, in the Ward of Castle Baynard, there was a school purchased at the cost of
Alderman Barber, where thirty boys and twenty girls were educated. There was one almshouse upon
Lambeth Hill.
John Hewitt was rector here; he was tried by Cromwell's High Court of Justice in 1658 and
beheaded. Also William Crowe (d. 1743), Chaplain in Ordinary to George 11.
SeriTlOn Lane. — According to Stow this was originally Sheremonier's Lane. The
name is found as " Sarmoneres," " Sarmoners," " Sarmouneris," and " Seremoneres "
Lane. The most interesting mention of the Street is contained in the Hist. MSS.
Comm. Rept. IX., Part I. 26b. (a.d. 1315):
" Whereas a house belonging to the Chapter of St. Paul's, at the north-east
corner of 'Sarmouneris' Lane, has been assigned to Sir Nicholas Housebonde,
minor canon of St. Paul's, for his residence, the said Sir Nicholas has complained that
it is inconvenient for the purpose on account of the grievous perils which are to be
feared by reason of its distance from the cathedral and the crossing of dangerous
roads by night, and the attacks of robbers, and other ill-disposed persons, which he
had already suffered, and also on account of the ruinous condition of the building
and the crowd of loose women who live around it. The Chapter, therefore,
assigns to him a piece of ground at the end of the schools upon which to make
a house."
In Sermon Lane is the charity school. It was built in the beginning of the
eighteenth century. Two quaint figures of charity children, each perhaps a couple of
feet high, project from the first floor. Tlie boy dressed in the long lapelled coat,
the girl in panniers, apron, and cap. The house is of brick. The two lower floors
have ordinary wide arched windows, but the two upper ones have each a unique
display of no less than nine narrow, circular headed windows in a row extending
across all the front. These give a curious cloistral aspect to the place. Over the
doorway and two ground-floor windows are scrolls fixed up, but on one only is there
an inscription, which is clearly readable, as follows :
To the Glory of God and for the benefit of the poor children of this j^arish of Castle Baynard Ward
this house was purchased at the sole cost of John Barber, Esip, Alderman of this ward, in the year of
our Lord 1722.
And on an immense plaster slab running all across the story above is " Castle
Baynard Ward School, supported by voluntary contributions."
St. Bennet's Hill. — Strype : " Upon Paul's Wharf Hill, within a great Gate,
and belonging to that gate next to the Doctors' Commons are many fair Tenements,
which in their Leases made from the Dean and Chapter go by the name ol Camera
Diance, or Diana's Chamber. So denominated from a spacious building that in the
time of Henry II. stood where they now are standing. In this Camera, an arched
and vaulted structure, this Henry II. kept, or was supposed to have kept, that
jewel of his heart, fair Rosamund, whom there he called Rosa IMundi ; and hereby
214 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
the name of Diana. To this day are remains and some evident testifications of
turnings tedious and windings as also of a passage underground from this House
to Castle Baynard, which was, no doubt, the king's way from thence to his Camera
Diance."
In 1452 (Hist. Comm. IX.) the " Inn called Catnera Diance" alias Segrave, in
the parish of St. Benet is assigned by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's to a Canon
Residentiary of the Cathedral. And in 1480 we find the Camera described as a
messuage with a garden let at eight marks a year to Sir John Clay ; it was formerly
occupied by Lord Berners, " but probably belonging to Richard Lichefield, Canon
Residentiary, who pays to the Chapter 26s. a year for the obit of Richard Juvenis.
ST. BENET, PAUL'S WHARF
St. Benet, Paul's Wharf, is sometimes called St. Bennet Huda, or At the Hyth, and sometimes St.
Benet Woodwharf. The date of the foundation of the original church is unknown. It was destroyed by
the Great Fire, and the present building, the work of Wren, was finished in 1683. The neighbouring
church of St. Peter was not rebuilt and after the Fire the parishes were united. This rectory has ceased
to be parochial, its parish having been united with that of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey. In 1879 the
church was handed over to the Welsh congregation by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners ratified by an
Order in Council. T he patron is the Bishop of London. It is now used for services for Welsh residents
in London. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1150.
The patronage of the church had always been in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's
since 1150 up to 1879.
Houseling people in 1548 were 336.
The present church is built of red brick, with stone quoins and festoons over the windows. It is
54 feet long, 50 feet broad, and 36 feet high. There is one aisle, on the north side, separated from the
nave by two Corinthian columns on lofty bases. The steeple, rising at the north-west, reaches a height
of 115 feet and consists of a square-based tower, with a cornice, a cupola with oval openings, and a
lantern supporting a ball and vane.
A chantry was founded here at the Altar of Our Lady for Sir William de Weyland, to which John
Love de Canterbury was admitted, April 10, 1334.
This church formerly contained monuments to : Sir William Cheyne, Chief Justice of the King's
Bench, who died in 1442 ; Dr. Richard Caldwell, President of the Royal College of Physicians, who died
in 1585; Inigo Jones was buried here in 1652, but his memorial perished in the Great Fire; there is
a marble tablet to his memory on the north-side wall. Many heralds and dignities of the Ecclesiastical
Courts were buried in this church owing to its contiguity to the College of Arms and Doctors' Commons,
among whom are John Charles Brooke, William Oldys, author of the Life of Raleigh, who died in 1761,
also Mrs. Manley, author of the New Atlantis, who died in 1724. Elias Ashmole, the antiquary, was
married here.
There was a charity school here for twenty poor boys ; also almshouses, consisting of six tenements
for six poor widows. Each widow received 7s. 4d. per quarter from Christ's Hospital, 9s. 6d. at Christmas
from the Embroiderers, and 25s. each at Christmas from the churchwardens. In the event of marriage,
the benefit of this foundation was forfeited.
As this brings us down to Thames Street again, we must retrace our steps and
come right along the river-side from the westward limit of our section.
Puddle Dock was called Waingate in Stow's time ; it was possibly an artificial
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 215
port constructed like Queenhithe, in the mud of the foreshore. Beside the dock, in
the sixteenth century, was a brewery, the first of the many river-side breweries.
Baynard's Castle has already been mentioned. There was no house in the City
more interesting than this. Its history extends from the Norman Conquest to the
Great Fire — exactly 600 years ; and during the whole of this long period it was a
great palace. First it was built by one Baynard, a follower of William. It was
forfeited in a.d. i i i i, and given to Robert Fitzwalter, son of Richard, Earl of Clare,
in whose family the ofifice of Castellan and Standard-bearer to the City of London
became hereditary. His descendant, Robert, in revenge for private injuries, took
part with the barons against King John, for which the King ordered Baynard's
Castle to be destroyed. Fitzwalter, however, becoming reconciled to the King, was
permitted to rebuild his house. It was again destroyed, this time by fire, in 1428.
It was rebuilt by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, on whose attainder it reverted to
the Crown. During one of these rebuildings it was somewhat shifted in position.
Richard, Duke of York, next had it, and lived here with his following of 400
gentlemen and men-at-arms. It was in the hall of Baynard's Castle that
Edward IV. assumed the title of king, and summoned the bishops, peers, and
judges to meet him in council. Edward gave the house to his mother, and placed
in it for safety his wife and children before going out to fight the Battle of Barnet.
Here Buckingham offered the crown to Richard.
Alas ! why would you heap those cares on me ?
I am unfit for state and majesty ;
I do beseech you, take it not amiss —
I cannot, nor I will not, yield to you.
Henry VIII. lived in this palace, which he almost entirely rebuilt. Prince
Henry, after his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, was conducted in great state
up the river, from Baynard's Castle to Westminster, the mayor and commonalty of
the City following in their barges. In the time of Edward VI. the Earl of
Pembroke, whose wife was sister to Queen Catherine Parr, held great state in this
house. Here he proclaimed Queen Mary. When Mary's first Parliament was held,
he proceeded to Baynard's Castle, followed by " 2000 horsemen in velvet coats, with
their laces of gold and gold chains, besides sixty gentlemen in blue coats with his
badge of the green dragon." This powerful noble lived to entertain Queen
Elizabeth at Baynard's Castle with a banquet, followed by fireworks. The last
appearance of the place in history is when Charles II. took supper there just before
the Fire swept over it and destroyed it.
Baynard's Castle is mentioned repeatedly in ancient documents. During a
lawsuit heard before the Justices Itinerant at the Tower of London (14 Edward II.)
a charter of Henry I. was produced granting permission to the Bishop of London
to make a wall over part of the ditch of Baynard's Castle, and referring back to the
2i6 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
possession of the castle by Eustace, Earl of Boulogne, in 1106. In 1307 there were
mills "without" Castle Baynard, which were removed as a nuisance. The Brethren
of the Papey had a tenement adjoining Baynard's Castle.
In 1276 Gregory Rokesley, mayor, gave the Archbishop of Canterbury two
lanes or ways next the street of Baynard's Castle. In 1423 a great fire destroyed
a part of the castle. In 1501 Henry VII. rebuilt the place or restored it. In 1463
Cicely, Duchess of York, wrote from "our place at Baynard's Castle." In 1551 the
castle was in the hands of Lord Pembroke, whose wife, Anne Parr, sister of Queen
Catherine Parr, died there, February 28, 1552, and was buried in St. Paul's
Cathedral.
The house, as it stood a little before the Fire, was a striking and picturesque
palace. The river-front was broken by three towers of unequal height and breadth ;
the spaces between these were ornamented by tourelles containing the windows ; a
gateway with a portcullis ojaened upon the river with a broad stone "bridge" or
pier, and stairs. Within, it contained two courts.
After the Fire the site of Baynard's Castle lay for a long time neglected.
Ogilby's map shows an area not built upon, approached by a lane from Thames
Street, called Dunghill Lane. At the river-edge is a small circle denoting a tower.
Strype says that it was all burned down except a little tower. Strype also says that
the site was converted into " Buildings and Wharves," but his map shows neither.
Near Baynard's Castle, but not marked on the maps, was a place called
Butchers' Bridge, where the offal and blood of the beasts killed in the shambles,
Newgate, were thrown into the river. It was ordered (43 Edward III.) that the
bridge, a pier or jetty such as at New Palace Yard was called Westminster Bridge,
should be taken away, and the offal should be carried out of the City.
Stow speaks of another tower on the west side of Baynard's Castle, built by
Edward II. "The same place," he says, "was since called Legate's Inn, where be
now divers wood wharves."
On the east side of the castle stood "a great messuage" belonging to the
Abbey of Fecamp. During the wars Edward III. took it, and gave it to Sir Simon
Burley, from whom it was called Burley House.
Next came another great house, called Scrope's Inn, " belonging to Scrope in
the 31st of Henry VI."
Paul's Wharf, a "common stair," was very ancient, and may very well mark the
site of an early break in the wall. In 1354 Gilbert de Bruen, Dean of St. Paul's,
bequeaths his "tenements and wharf, commonly called ' Paule's Wharf,' to the Dean
and Chapter of St. Paul's and their successors, so that they maintain a chantry in
the Chapel of St. Katherine " (in the cathedral) "for the good of his soul and the
souls of others."
In 1344 there was a dispute concerning the right of free access to the river by
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 217
Paul's Wharf. The matter was referred to certain wardsmen. " They say that
Paul's Wharf used to be common to the whole city for taking water there, but they
say that Nicolas de Tailleur, ' heymonger,' tenant by rent service of Dominus
William de Hagham, collects the quarterly payments of those who take water there
against the custom of the city."
Paul's Wharf was also called the Wharf of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.
Beyond Paul's Wharf was a great house, formerly — i.e. in the fourteenth
century — called Beaumont's Inn, but given by Edward IV. to Lord Hastings. In
1598 it was called Huntingdon House, as belonging to the Earls of Huntingdon.
St. Peter, Paul's Wharf, stood at the south-east comer of St. Peter's Hill in Upper Thames
Street. It was sometimes called St. Peter's Parva. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt,
its parish being annexed to that of St. Benet, Paul's Wharf. Its burying-ground may still be seen amidst
the surrounding warehouses. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1315.
The church has always been in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul, since 1181, and
continued in their successors up to 1666, when the church was burnt down and the parish annexed to that
of St. Benet, Paul's Wharf
Chantries were founded here by : William Bernard for himself and Isabel his wife, to which
James Payne was admitted January 22, 1542-43 ; Walter Kent.
No monuments remained in Stow's time except that in memory of Queen Elizabeth.
Fish Wharf was near Oueenhithe. In 1343 Thomas Pykeman, fishmonger,
bequeathed to his wife the messuage wherein he lived, situate upon " la Fisshe-
wharfs," with shops, for life. In 1347 Simon de Turnham, fishmonger, ordered the
sale of " his shops and solars " at " le Fisshewharfs in the parish of St. Mary
Somerset." In 1374 the Fishwharfs is said to be in the parish of St. Magnus.
Now, there are four parishes between St. Mary Somerset and St. Magnus. The
latter " Fish Wharf" is probably " Fresh" Wharf in St. Magnus's parish. In 1291
Thomas Pikeman (father of the above named [.'']), Henry Poteman, and John Aleyn,
fishmongers of Fishers' Wharf, pray that they may be allowed to go on selling fish,
fresh or salted, in their houses on the above wharf by wholesale or retail, as their
ancestors have been accustomed to do. The Fish Wharf of St. Magnus was also
called the Fish Wharf at the Hole.
St. Mary Mounthaw was situated on the west side, about the middle of Old Fish Street Hill,
and derived its name " Mounthaw " or " Mounthault " from its having belonged to the family of Mounthaul
or Monhalt who owned a house in the parish. It was destroyed by the Great Fire and its parish
annexed to that of St. Mary Somerset, its site being made into a burying-ground for the inhabitants.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 1344.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The family of Mounthault, who sold it to Ralph
de Maydenstone, about 1234, who gave it to his successors the Bishop of Hereford, in whose successors it
continued till i566, when the church was burnt down and the parish annexed to St. Mary Somerset, who
shared the alternate patronage of that church up to 1776.
A chantry was founded here by John Gloucester, late citizen, before 1345, to which John Whutewey
was admitted, February 18, 1381.
2i8 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Two monuments only are mentioned by Stow, one in memory of John Gloucester, alderman in 1345,
and John Skip, Bishop of Hereford, 1552.
Twenty-four boys and twenty girls were taught and clothed by the gentlemen of Queenhithe Ward.
The parish, together with others, had a gift of 8s. per annum left by Randolph Bernard, and 40s.
per annum left by Robert Warner.
Boss Alley, now vanished, preserved the memory of a "boss" of water placed
there by the executors of Whittington. Beside Boss Alley was a house once
belonging to the Abbots of Chertsey in Surrey, as their inn when they came to town.
It was afterwards known as Sandie House. " I think the Lord Sands has been
lodged there."
Trig Lane follows, leading down to Trig Stairs :
A pair of stairs they found, not big stairs,
Just such another pair as Trig Stairs.
Broken Wharf is mentioned so far back — e.g. 1329 and 1349 — that one
suspects that the wall, not the wharf, was at this place broken. In 1598 a stone
house stood beside the wharf, with arched gates. It belonged in the forty-third year
of Henry HI. to Hugh de Bygod ; in the eleventh of Edward HI. to Thomas
Brotherton, the King's brother, Earl of Norfolk, Marshal of England ; and in the
eleventh of Henry VI. to John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.
Within the gate of this house (now belonging to the city of London) is lately — to wit, in the
years 1594 and 1595 — built one large house of great heith called an engine, made by Bevis Bulmar,
gentleman, for the conveying and forcing of Thames water to serve in the middle and west parts of the
city. The ancient great hall of this messuage is yet standing, and pertaining to a great brewhouse for
beer (.Stow's .SiiiTey).
St. Mary Somerset was situated on the north side of Upper Thames Street, opposite Broken
Wharf, and was so-called from a man's name Summer's Hith. It was burnt down in the Great Fire,
and rebuilt from the designs of Sir Christopher Wren in 1695, when St. Mary Mounthaw was annexed
to it. The building, with the exception of the tower, was pulled down in 1868. The earliest date of
an incumbent is 1280.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: William de Staundon, who gave it by will, dated
November 20, 1273, to Arabella de Staundon, his wife; Sir John de Peyton, 1335; Edward III., 1363
(see Braybroke, London Review, 146, as to a dispute about the patronage when Thomas de Bradeston
claimed it); Richard II., as custodian of Thomas de Bradeston, 1387 ; Walter de la Pole, in right of his
wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas de Bradeston ; Thomas de Ingaldesthorp, cousin and heir of Walter
de la Pole ; Henry VI., 1435; William Norris, Knight, married to Isabel, daughter of Edmund de
Ingaldesthorp, 1478; Edward VI., 1550; Mary, 1554; G. Comb, generosus, 1560; Elizabeth, 1585;
George Coton, 1596; and several others until the Great Fire in 1666, when the parish was annexed to
St. Mary Mounthaw.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
Chantries were founded here: By and for John Gildesburgh, in the time of Edward III., at the Altar
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the King granted in mortmain to Richard, son of W. de Segrave, May 18 —
the endowment fetched ^4 : 6 : 8 in 1548, when John Bordell was priest ; by Thomas Wilforde, who had a
licence from Henry IV., whose endowment fetched £,j, : 7 : 4 in 1548, when John Moryalle was priest.
Most of the monuments of the original church were defaced by Stow's time, and those which he
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
219
records are of individuals of little eminence. In later times the memory of Gilbert Ironside, Bishop of
Hereford, was honoured by a stone inscription within the communion rails.
Ralph Bernard left 8s. per annum, and John Moysier 7s. 6d. per annum. No other gifts or
charities are recorded by Stow.
Twenty-four boys and twenty girls were clothed and educated at the charge of the gentlemen of
Queenhithe Ward.
Samuel Croxall, D. D. (d. 1752), Chancellor of Hereford, was rector here.
Timber Hithe crossed the narrow lanes parallel to Thames Street. It is now
called High Timber Street. These lanes have changed their names; "Dunghill
Lane," for instance, became Gardeners' Lane. There used to be here a quaint little
A RAS-RELIEF OF A HARDKNEK, CARDENERs' LANE, I79I
figure of a gardener, dated 1670, of the kind to be found at one time in many parts
of London, but now very scarce.
In Fye Foot Lane is the Shuttleworth Club, founded in 1889 by Prebendary
Shuttleworth. It was intended to provide "a comfortable place of social intercourse,
culture and recreation," for men and women in business in the City. The affairs of
the Club are managed by the members themselves, and no religious test of any kind
is required. The Club at first went by the name of St. Nicholas, but it was re-
christened the Shuttleworth Club in honour of the founder. Every form of recreation
is provided — from cricket in the summer months, and dancing, to lectures and chess.
In the basement there is a fine billiard room with two tables. On the ground floor
there is a refreshment bar, where alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic beverages are
provided, and also dining-rooms, which look out at the back of the house on the
220 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
dreary little strip of ground — all that remains of St. Mary Somerset Churchyard.
The e.xperiment is interesting, as this is the first mixed Club established in the City.
Of Bread Street Hill there seems to be no recorded history ; here on the west
side once stood
St. Nicholas Olave, destroyed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that
of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1327.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Bishop of London, by whom it was given in
1 1 72 to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, with whom it continued up to 1666, when the parish was
annexed to St. Nicholas Cole Abbey.
Houseling people in 1548 were 163.
Thomas Lewen, sheriff in 1537, who died 1555, was buried here; also Blitheman, organist of the
Queen's Chapel, who died 1591 ; John Widnell, Master of the .Merchant Taylors Company.
Stow says that the parish received no gifts for any purposes.
Hugh Weston (d. 1558), Dean of Westminster, was a rector here. The churchyard still remains.
Perhaps of all the many points of interest in Thames Street, that open dock or
harbour called Oueenhithe is the most interesting. It originally, as we have seen,
belonged to one Edred, a Sa.xon, but fell into the hands of King Stephen, as
valuable property had a way of falling into kings' hands in those early days. After
being held by an intermediate possessor, William de Ypres, who gave it to a
convent, it came again to the Crown, and was given by King John to his mother,
the Dowager Queen Eleanor. It was a valuable property by reason of the dues
collected from the ships unlading here. King Henry VIII.
commanded the constables of the Tower of London to arrest the ships of the Cinque Ports on the River
of Thames, and to compel them to bring their corn to no other place, but to the Queen's Hithe only. In
the eleventh of his reign he charged the said constable to distrain all fish offered to be sold in any place
of this city, but at the Queen Hithe (Stow).
In pursuance of this order the larger ships, as well as the smaller ones, were
compelled to come up beyond London Bridge, and were admitted by a drawbridge.
In 1463 the "slackness" of the drawbridge impeded their progress, and Oueenhithe
suffered accordingly. At Oueenhithe were delivered goods varying in quantity and
quality, but the two great trades were in fish : for the fish-market, the principal one
— Billingsgate not being then a free and open port — was at Old Fish Market ; and
grain, in memory whereof we may still see the vane on the top of St. Michael's
Church in the form of a ship made to contain exactly a bushel of corn. It was in
Henry III.'s reign that the "farm" of Queenhithe was granted to the Lord Mayor
and Commonalty of the City to be held by them, but the profits were soon "sore
diminished," partly by reason of the competition of Billingsgate.
St. Michael, Queenhithe, was situated on the north side of Upper Thames Street, and was
sometimes called St. Michael, Cornhith. It was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt from the designs
of Wren in 1677, when the parish of Trinity Church was annexed. In 1876 the building was pulled down.
Several portions of the building and fittings were preserved ; the font has been removed to St. Paul's, as
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 221
well as a number of the monuments, and the old oak pulpit to St. James', Garlickhithe. The earliest date
of an incumbent is 1150.
The church has always been in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.
Houseling people in 1548 were 100.
Chantries were founded here : By Richard Marlowe, ironmonger and mayor of London, 1409
and 141 7 ; by Stephen Spelman, who died in 1414 and endowed it with lands, which fetched ;£ii ; 16 : 8
in 1548, when Thomas Gilbank was priest ; by Robert Parres, Thomas Eure, and John Clarke, who
endowed it with tenements, etc., which fetched jQi : 13 : 4, when Sir Thomas Bigge was priest.
Few monuments are recorded by Stow, as many had been quite defaced by his time. He mentions
Stephen Spelman as a benefactor to the church in 1404; and here was buried also Richard Marlow, mayor
in 1409, who gave JQ20 to the poor of the parish, and Richard Gray, donor of ^40.
The gifts and benevolences belonging to the parish were registered in the parish book, but the
details of them are not recorded by Stow.
There was a school for forty-three boys and girls.
John Russell (17S7-1863), D.D., headmaster of Charterhouse, was rector here.
Huggin Lane was known as Hoggene Lane in 1329, 1373, 1429, 1430, 143 1,
1433 (ss6 Calendar of Wills). In its south-east corner stood the Church of St.
Michael, Oueenhithe. The churchyard still remains.
In Little Trinity Lane is the Painter Stainers' Hall, opposite to which was
the Lutheran Church. In Great Trinity Lane was the Church of the Holy Trinity,
not rebuilt after the Fire.
THE PAINTERS OR PAINTER STAINERS COMPANY
This Company was incorporated by Queen Elizabeth, 1582, for a master, 2 wardens, 19 assistants,
and a livery of 124. The present livery is 130 ; their Corporate Income is .;^7oo; their Trust Income is
^2300. Their hall is in Little Trinity Lane. The history of the Company has been written by Mr. John
Gregory Grace, late master. It was an ancient Gild, but how ancient cannot be learned. In the fifteenth
century the Painters sent unto the mayor and aldermen the usual petition that they might be allowed to
choose two persons of their Mystery who should be authorised to make search for bad and " false " work.
This Company originally included painters of portraits and other kinds, as well as decorators, sign painters,
etc. It might, in fact, have become the City Academy of Arts, and it seems a great pity that its nobler
side was lost sight of. The hall, formerly the residence of Sir John Brown, Sergeant Painter to Henry
VIII., was destroyed by the Great Fire and rebuilt immediately afterwards. The Company can show-
many distinguished names on the roll of members, including those of Sir Peter Lely, Sir Godfrey Kneller,
Antonio Verrio, Sir James Thornhill, and Richard Lovelace.
Holy Trinity the Less was situated in Knightrider Street. In 1607 and 1629 it was rebuilt and
repaired, but it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, and its parish annexed to that of St. Michael,
Queenhithe. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1323.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of St. Mary Overy,
Southwark, before 1316; Henry VIII. seized it, when it soon came, either by e.xcliange or grant, to the
Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, with whose successors it continued till 1666, when the church was
destroyed and the parish annexed to St. Michael, Queenhithe.
Houseling people in 1548 were 170.
Chantries were founded here by : Thomas Cosyn ; John liryan.
John Bryan was buried in this church — he was an alderman in the reign of Henry V. and a great
benefactor; also John Mirsin, auditor of the E.xchequer in 147 1.
222 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
No legacies or gifts are recorded by Stow.
There was a school for forty-three boys and girls belonging to St. Michael, Queenhithe.
John Rogers, who was burnt as a heretic at Smithfield in 1555, was a rector here; also Francis Dee
(d. 1638), Bishop of Peterborough.
Great Trinity Lane, together with Great St. Thomas Apostle and the west
hah" of Cloak Lane, formerly counted as part of Knightrider Street, which joins the
western end of Great Trinity Lane.
It was changed to the present style after the Fire. In 1888 the underground
" Mansion House " station ousted all the houses on the south side of the lane ; but
Jack's Alley was a right-of-way into Keen's mustard factory — its loss had to be made
good, and hence the iron bridge which crosses the station from the lane to the
factory : really it is an alley suspended in mid-air.
Great St. Thomas Apostle was an important street in old days. It was so-
called from the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle.
At St. Paul's Cathedral is a document of 11 70 relating to St. ThomaS-the-Apostle ; that is the
earliest reference. In 1181 the book of Dean Ralph de Diceto describes it as " Ecclesia Sancti Thomae," a
church with burial-ground belonging. The Cathedral canons collated to it, and one Stephen was then priest.
The name at that time is simply written " St. Thomas " ; it was the only church of the name in the City.
A few years later the church dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket was founded in Cheapside and styled St.
Thomas of Acres : after that, necessity of distinction caused the earlier church to be known as " St. Thomas-
ye-Apostle." Of the building, scant information exists. Roesia de Burford erected upon the south side a
new chapel shortly before 1329.' At about the same time a partial or complete rebuilding of the church
took place : John Bernes, mercer, Lord Mayor 1371, wfts a substantial contributor to the new work, and a
coatof-arms existing in the stone work and the windows until Stow's time (1598) was believed to attest
his munificence. A Fraternity of St. Eligius, or Eloy, Bishop of Noyon, had quarters here, and there was
an altar to their saint. In the years 1629-1630 the building was "well repaired and finely varnished" at a
cost of nearly ^300. Then in 1666 came the trial by fire, and the church succumbed. The parish was
united to St. Mary Aldermary, and the Dean and Chapter, as patrons of St. Thomas, were allotted alternate
presentation to the united living. The sites of the church and rectory were thrown into Queen Street, cut
from Cheapside to Thames Street soon after the Fire. Some small portion of the churchyard remained,
east and west of the new thoroughfare. Part of the western space was shortly built upon ; the very houses
still stand, with the tree-planted churchyard as a garden entrance : beneath the garden are the vaults, once
used as a last resting-place for deceased parishioners, now as a wine store. The western space still
contained some remains of the church until plastered over in 1828. The ground was curtailed by the
widening of Queen Street and the allotment of a rectory site for St. Mary Aldermary in 1851. Thus it has
been reduced to a tiny and flagged square. On the north wall a tablet bears this inscription : " Near
this spot stood the church of St. Thomas the Apostle, destroyed in the Great Fire of London, September
1666 : the burial ground belonging to which, extending 55 feet northward of Cloak Lane, and 20 feet on
an average eastward of Queen Street, was circumscribed to the space here enclosed ad. 1851, when by
virtue of an Act of Parliament 10 and 11 Vict. cap. CCLXXX, the remnant of the ground was taken to
widen Queen Street and Cloak Lane. All remains of mortality which could be discovered were carefully
collected and deposited within the vault beneath this stone. H. B. Wilson DD, rector : Matthew T. Bishop :
John Pollock : churchwardens." The earliest date of an incumbent is 1365.
The patronage of the church has always been in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's,
and was given to them in the twelfth century by 'Wicelonis the priest and Gervasius his nephew.
1 Calendar of Wills in the Court of Hustings, Part I. p. 352.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 223
Houseling people in 1548 were 298.
Chantries were founded here: By Thomas Romayn, whose will was dated December 21, 1312, for
himself and Juliana his wife, to which John \\'ariner, priest, was admitted chaplain, April 20, 1368; by
Roger atte Wine, whose endowment fetched ;£^2:i3:4 in 1548; by William Champneys, to which
Walter Badewynde de Canterbury dio was admitted chaplain, June 12, 1368 — the endowment fetched
;^5 : 6 : 7 in 1548 (the above three were consolidated and united in January 9, 1400-1401, when Thomas
Jordan was admitted chaplain) ; by Richard Chawry, who gave to the Salters Company certain lands, etc.,
to find a priest, which were valued at ^6 : 13 : 4 in 1548, when Sir George Walpole was chaplain; by
William Brampton, who endowed it with lands, etc., which fetched ^6: 13:4 in 1548, when Sir John
Barnes was chaplain.
Very few monuments of special interest are recorded by Stow. John Foy, citizen and Merchant
Taylor, was buried here in 1625 ; he was a benefactor of the parish.
The charitable gifts belonging to this parish were few and small : ^13 10:4 the gift of Mr. Hinman ;
^2 : I2S. the gift of Mr Beeston ; and others to the amount of ;^5.
Two almshouses for the poor of the Salters Company belonging to St. Mary Aldermary.
John Walker (d. 1741), Archdeacon of Hereford, was rector here; also Thomas Cartwright (1634-
1689), Bishop of Chester.
Just beyond its eastern end, across the present College Hill, stood the Tower
Royal. The wine merchants of La Reole, near Bordeaux, settled in and round the
present College Hill during or before the reign of Edward I. The hill and the
immediate neighbourhood became termed "the Reole": the word " Royal " is a
corrupted form, and has nothing to do with kings. The tower, tenement, or inn
situated in "the Reole" stood on the north of Cloak Lane, at College Hill corner;
it extended eastwards nearly to the Walbrook, northwards perhaps to Budge Row.
It had a south gate, and probably also a courtyard opening into the lane ; and a west
gate standing on the hill. Perhaps Henry I. was the founder : Stow wishes us to
believe that Stephen lodged here, "as in the heart of the City for his more safety,"
which is very likely true.
The theory that the tower, or main building, was reserved to the King finds
support in 1331, when Edward III. granted " La Real" to Queen Phillippa for life,
to serve as her wardrobe. A few years later Phillippa repaired, perhaps rebuilt,
it; particulars of the work done still survive (Cottonian MS.). In 1369, a few
months after Phillippa's death, the King gave this "inn (hospitum) with its
appurtenances, called le Reole " to the canons of his college of St. Stephen's,
Westminster, the annual value being then ^20. By some means the place still
continued at the royal disposal, both to dwell in and to grant away. When the Wat
Tyler rebellion in 1381 drove Johanna, the King's mother, from the Tower of
London, she took refuge here, the place being then called the Queen's Wardrobe :
thither came Richard II. when he returned from Smithfield, after the death of Tyler.
Richard was still here in 1386, "lying in the Royal," as Stow has it, when he granted
a charter of ^1000 per annum to the refugee Leon VI., King of Armenia. The
place was granted by Richard III. to John Howard, Duke of Norfolk. In later
times the Tower became neglected, and converted into stabling for the King's horses.
224 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
When Stow wrote (1598), it was divided into tenements let out to divers persons.
All perished in the Great Fire ; but at the rebuilding the south entrance and court-
yard in Cloak Lane were plainly marked by Balding's Yard ; the west gateway by
Tower Royal Court in what was then Tower Royal Street, but is now the upper end
of College Hill. Neither survived ; but a small lane called Tower Royal, in
Cordwainer Ward, marks the western boundary.
West of the Church of St. Thomas Apostle, reaching to Bow Lane, was the
great house called Ypres Inn, first built by William of Ypres, who came over
from Flanders with other Flemings to aid Stephen against Matilda.
In the year 1377 John of Ypres lived there: on a certain day came John of
Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Lord Henry Percy the marshal to dine with him.
Both the Duke and Percy had been defending Wyclyf before the Bishop of London :
the citizens, enraged, sought the life of both, going in pursuit of them to the Savoy.
A knight of the Duke's hastened to Ypres Inn with the news: the frightened Duke
"leapt so hastily from his oysters that he hurt both his legs against a form," refused
the consolation of wine, left the Inn with Percy by a back gate, and taking a boat at
the Thames "never stayed rowing " until he came to Kennington, where he was safe.
Thus the hunters missed the fox at his hole, whilst the fox, lying in hiding at the
hunter's back door, conveyed himself to a place of security. What eventually
happened to the Inn is not recorded.
Garlick Hill, or Garlick Hithe, where, one supposes, garlick was formerly sold,
has at present in it nothing remarkable except the Church of St. James. " Garleck-
hithe" occurs in a record of 1281. Of old time. Stow relates, garlic was sold upon
the Thames bank near this hill : as a strong flavouring it was much in vogue for the
dressing of food among the common folk: and an ordinance of 13 10 relating to
Queenhithe, close by, makes reference to ships with cargoes of garlic and onions.
Here, no doubt, the garlic market was held, hence this particular hithe, hive, harbour,
or quay was the Garlickhithe, and the church on the hill just above was called St.
James-at-Garlickhithe. At the north-east corner of the hill stood Ormond Place, a
great stone house, sometimes the residence of the Earls of Ormond. It had just
been demolished when Stow wrote his Survey, and tenements and a tavern built on
the site. The hill was "well built and inhabited" after the Great Fire, says Strype.
Sir John Coke was living here in 1625.
ST. JAMES, GARLICKHITHE
" St. James verstis vinitariam " occurs in a document of about 1170;^ " St. James in Garleckhithe "
is found written in 12S1 : '" botli names were at that time used without distinction, but the former was
eventually dropped. " Vinitarium " or Vintry applied to the general district of the wine trade situated
1 Royal Commission on Historical i\ISS., Report IX.
- Calendar of Willi in the Court of Hustings, Part I. p. 53.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 225
hereabouts ; "Garleckhithe," to the harbour, just below the church, where the garUc-monger made sale of
his wares. St. James is the saint here honoured.
The earliest church is well-nigh recordless : it was in part rebuilt and chiefly restored by Richard de
Rothing, probably the same who was sheriff in 1326; here, within the walls of his munificence, was he
buried. He did not complete the restorations. John de Rothing, Richard's son, left by will in 1375
money towards completing the repairs, towards the rebuilding of the old belfry, and for re-erecting a door-
way in the north side.
It was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt from designs by Wren, 1676-1683. During the last
century the church was several times repaired, but not substantially altered. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1259.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Abbot and Convent of Westminster, 1252 ;
Henry VHI. seized it in 1540 and granted it to Thomas Thirlby, Bishop of Westminster, the same year,
viz. January 20, 1540-1541 ; the Bishop of London, by grant of Edward VL in 1550, confirmed by Mary,
March 3, 1553-1554-
Houseling people in 1548 were 400.
The church measures 75 feet in length, 45 feet in breadth, and 40 feet in height. There are two
side-aisles separated from the nave by Ionic columns, si.x on either side, with a clerestory above. This is
interrupted at the centre, and three eastern and three western columns each bear half of it, thus presenting
a cruciform appearance. The tower, measuring 20 feet square at the base, rises at the west, surmounted
by a dome, lantern, ball finial, and vane; the total height is 125 feet. The transitions are softened by
vases and urns. Above the door projects a bracket clock topped by the grotesque figure of St. James in
pilgrim's garb, locally known as "old Jimmy Garlick." Much of the woodwork in the interior was brought
from St. Michael, Queenhithe, when that church was pulled down.
Chantrres were founded here : By John Whitthorn, of three chaplains — one Thomas Haverbergh,
chaplain, exchanges it with William Gedelston, rector of Ongar ad Castrum, Essex, July 31, 1381 ; by
William Hawye, at the Altar of St Katharine, whose endowment fetched £,\2 : 18 : 8 in 1548, when Thomas
Dale was priest ; by John de O.xenford, citizen and vintner, which was augmented by Roger de Fordham,
whose will is dated next after the Feast of St. Barnabas, 1349 ; by Thomas Lincoln and Richard Lyon
in 1548, when John Borell was chaplain ; by Thomas Bodynge, whose endowment yielded ^^22 : los.
in 1548.
Richard Rothing, the reputed founder of this church, was buried here. So also were the following :
Walter Nele, vintner, sheriff in 1337 ; John Oxenford, vintner, mayor in 1341 ; John Wroth, fishmonger,
mayor in 1360;* John Bromer, fishmonger, alderman in 1474; William Venor, grocer, mayor in 1389:
William Moor, vintner, mayor in 1395; Robert Chichele, grocer, mayor in 1421 ; James Spencer, vintner,
mayor in 1527; Richard Lyons, sheriff in 1374, beheaded by Wat Tyler; Richard I'latt, brewer,
founder of a free school and almshouses in Hertfordshire. There were tombs of importance : especially
curious were those of Richard Lyons and the Countess of Worcester, which had either great brasses or
recumbent effigies ; also the tombs of Sir George Stanley, K.G., and his first wife ; John Stanley ; Lord
Strange, 1503 ; and the Countess of Huntingdon. The church owned many precious things : an inventory
of its jewels in 1449 is still preserved at Westminster Abbey.
There was a charity school in Maiden Lane, which by the subscription of the whole ward m.Tintained
fifty boys.
Arthur Bulkely (died 1553), Bishop of Bangor, was rector here. Also Charles 13ooth, Bishop of
Hereford, 1516.
Adjoining to the church on the south side stood a house called " The Commons " :
it had been given by one Thomas Kente for keeping his anniversary in the church.
Here dwelt the chantry priests, who held the tenure. When the chantries were
suppressed by Edward VI. "The Commons" was valued at 53s. 4d. a year: no
226 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
fewer than nine "incumbents," who had Hfe interests in the chantry property of the
parish, received pensions under .Mary in 1555-1556. The total chantry property
fetched ^^2551 :3s. In the church was founded a Guild or Fraternity of St. James
in 1375 : it was practically a religious Benefit Society : the members, men and
women, were sworn together for the amendment of their lives : on one Sunday
in the year they held an annual feast : they paid entrance fees and periodical
subscriptions. A member of seven years' standing was eligible for a sickness
or old age allowance of fourteen-pence a week, and in case of false imprison-
ment a needy member would be granted a sum of thirteen-pence a week. In the
year 1566 the church was repaired. The parish bought the rood-loft which had been
taken in Protestant propriety from St. Martin Vintry ; the woodwork was utilised
for their new fittings. Edmund Chapman, the Queen's joiner, carried out the work.
He was afterwards buried in the church, and his monument narrated that :
Fine pews within this church he made.
And with his Arms support
The table and the seats in choir
He set in comely sort.
Here it was that Sir Richard Steele heard the Common Prayer read so dis-
tinctly, emphatically and fervently that inattention was impossible.^ The reader
who drew forth his praise was the then rector, Philip Stubbs, afterwards Archdeacon
of St. Albans. There is kept in the church a shrouded corpse in a remarkable state
of preservation ; formerly it was one of the show things for the benefit of the church-
keeper, but though still above ground it is not now publicly exposed. The parish
registers date back to 1536, two years before Thomas Cromwell made a general
order for the keeping of such records. They are amongst the oldest in the City.
Before the Great Fire there stood south of the church, nearly opposite to Vintners'
Hall, a parsonage. In 1670 it was rebuilt and leased to one Richard Corbet for
forty-one years.
Opposite, at the corner of Garlick Hill, was Ormond Place, residence of the
Earls of Ormond. Farther east, on the same side, stood Ringed Hall. At the
west end of the Church of St. Thomas was a lane called by Stow Wringwren Lane,
a most interesting survival. Of old not only were wines imported into Vintry ward,
but grapes were grown here. The Anglo-Saxon name for wine-press was
" winwringa " ; that word reversed into " wringa-win " is undoubtedly contained in the
corrupted form of "Wringwren." Perhaps a wine-press stood in the lane; the
proximity of " Ringed " Hall seems to strengthen the probability.
The lane called Worcester Place serves to mark the site of Worcester House,
the old residence of the Earls of Worcester. One of them, John Tiptoft, Lord
High Treasurer of England, dwelt here in the reign of Edward IV. This earl was
' Spectator, August i8, 171 1.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 227
a patron of Caxton, and a great lover of books ; to Oxford University he gave
volumes to the value of 500 marks. He was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1470,
when, as Fuller puts it, " the axe then did in one blow cut off more learning than
was in the heads of all the surviving nobility." Nevertheless he was known as
"The Butcher of England." He had impaled forty Lancastrians at Southampton,
and slain the infant children of Desmond, the Irish chief. One of the countesses of
Worcester w^as buried in the old church of St. James, Garlickhithe, close by. By
the end of Elizabeth's reign the premises were let out in tenements. In 1603
they were in possession of one Matthew Paris, girdler, who left them, by will bear-
ing that year's date, to his mother Katherine, then living in Aldermanbury.' The
Fruiterers Company were then occupying one or more of the tenements as their
Hall, although they were not incorporated until 1606. Their choice of this locality
indicates that much of the Iruit trade was centred here. Worcester House perished
in the Great Fire. The Fruiterers were too poor to establish a new hall, but met in
that of the Parish Clerks.
Maiden Lane appears as "Kymnelane" in 1259. Stow writes it Kerion
Lane, "of one Kerion sometime dwelling there," but this etymology is guesswork,
as shown by the earlier forms. Before the Fire the lane contained " divers fair
houses for merchants," says Stow, and the Glaziers' Hall.
Queen Street was cut shortly after the Great Fire of 1666 in common with
King Street, Cheapside, to connect the Guildhall with the Thames ; thus the Lord
Mayor now had a straight course for his procession when he "took water" at the
Three Cranes Stairs on his way to be sworn at Westminster Hall. The new
thoroughfare included the present Queen Street Place, and was named New Queen
Street in honour of the wife of Charles II. The prefix "New" subsequently
vanished. Close to Queen Street in Upper Thames Street is the Vintners' Hall (see
p. 229). The rectory house of the parish stands on a portion of St. Thomas the Apostle
Churchyard ; the remainder of the churchyard on this side of the street consists of a
small flagged square enclosed by a railing. The portion of the churchyard on the
west side of the road, opposite, contains two houses ; they are the only houses
remaining of the post-Fire rebuilding. In front, the churchyard serves them for a
garden ; its two fine plane-trees set off their quaint red brick walls and pillared and
pedimented doorways. The southern house has a delightful room on the first floor,
now used as the board room of the Tredegar Iron Company. The mantel is
exquisite, carved with all the beauty of the Grinling Gibbons school ; the walls
are wainscotted ; the doors all solid mahogany, over each a carved panel ; the
medallion cornice, of minutely beautiful detail, once carried a panelled ceiling
now removed. An ante-room has a second delicately carved mantel, and a
panelled ceiling.
' Calendar of Wills in the Court of Hustings, Part II. p. 737.
228 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
St. Martin Vintry stood at the south corner of Royal or Queen Street, Upper Thames Street.
Authentic history dates back to the Conqueror's reign, when Ralph Peverell gave the Church of St. Martin,
London, to the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Gloucester. In a document at St. Paul's {Hist. MSS. Comm.
Rep. IX.) of the year 1257 "St. Martin de Beremanes churche " is met with. In the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries " St. Martin de Barmannes-cherche " and St. Martin Vintry are both used. The
church was rebuilt in the beginning of the fifteenth century, several bequests having been left for the purpose.
It was burnt down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of the church, St.
Michael Royal. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1250.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of : The Bishop of Winchester ; Ralph Peverell ; Abbot
and Convent of St. Peter's, Gloucester, from 1388 ; Henry VIII. ; Bishop of Worcester by grant of
Edward VI., in whose successors it continued up to 1666, when the parish was annexed to St. Michael
Royal.
Houseling people in 1548 were 460.
A chantry was founded here by John Gisors or Jesores, for himself and Isabel his wife, to which
Geoffrey Stowe was admitted chaplain, September 5, 1368.
Very few monuments of interest are recorded by Stow. Sir John Gisors, mayor in 1311, was
buried here ; also Sir Ralph Austrie and Sir Cuthbert Hacket, mayors. .\ considerable number of those
commemorated were "Vinetarii."
According to Stow, there were no bequests or legacies belonging to the church, or for public uses ;
though there were a few for the poor. The Stationers Company was donor of ;^2 : los., for bread ; the
Dyers Company was donor of ^4 every two years, for clothing ; and George Lucas was donor of ^2.
In St. Martin, Vintry, there was a workhouse, and thirteen almshouses founded by Sir Richard
Whittington, each person being allowed 3s. lod. a week.
Bruno Ryves (1596-1677), who suffered nmch persecution in Puritan times, Dean of Chichester and
of Windsor, was rector here.
The site became a burial-ground. A part is now covered with buildings, but the
remainder forms a small square, planted with trees — three great elms, two small
limes, one large plane : si.x trees in all — really quite a leafy wood for the City !
The paths and flower-beds are well tended. ■ A few gravestones impart an
aspect of sepulchral solemnity. Thus the site of St. Martin Vintry is not wholly
effaced.
The Vintry stood east of Oueenhithe ; it was a wharf on which " the merchants
of Bordeaux craned their wine out of lighters and other vessels, and then landed
and made sale of them within forty days after, until the 28th of Edward I., at which
time the said merchants complained that they could not sell their wines, paying
poundage, neither hire houses nor cellars to lay them in."
This was remedied by building storehouses with vaults and cellars for storage,
where formerly had stood a row of cooks' shops.
On the Vintry wharf were three cranes standing. They gave the name to
Three Cranes Lane. At Three Cranes Stairs, in 1552, the Duke of Somerset was
landed on his way to the Tower. In 1554 Queen Mary landed here, when she paid
a visit to the Guildhall and "showyd hare mynde unto the Mayor, aldermen, and
the whole craftes of London in hare owne person."
On the south side of Thames Street, just above the Three Cranes wharf and
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 229
opposite to St. Martin Y'intry, stood a large house built of stone and timber ; below
it were vaults for the stowage of wines, for it was a wine merchant's mansion known
as "The Yintry." John Gisors, vintner, mayor 1311, 1312, and 1314, constable of
the Tower, dwelt here ; also Henry Picard, vintner, Lord Mayor, 1356. In the year
1363 Picard sumptuously feasted in this house Edward III. ; John II. of France, the
Black Prince's prisoner ; David, King of Scots ; the King of Denmark ; the King
of Cyprus, and many nobles. Truly an illustrious gathering. It is said that the
toast of "five times five," still drunk, owed origin to this feast of the five kings.
Picard kept his hall for all comers that were willing to play dice with him ; his wife,
the Lady Margaret, kept her chamber to the same intent for the princesses and
ladies. The King of Cyprus won fifty marks from Picard, but afterwards lost a
hundred marks and was at pains to conceal his chagrin. " My Lord and King," said
the host, " be not agrieved, I covet not your gold but your play, for I have not bid
you hither that I might grieve you, but that amongst other things I might try your
play." Thereupon Picard restored the monarch's marks and good humour at one
and the same time, " plentifully bestowing of his own among the retinue." Moreover,
he gave rich gifts to King Edward and to the nobles and knights who had that day
dined with him " to the great glory of the citizens of London " (Stow).
THE VINTNERS COMPANY
It is probable that a fraternity or company of the Mystery of Vintners, by the name of the Wine
Tunners of (lascoigne, has existed in London from time immemorial.
The Company is mentioned in a Municipal Ordinance of the year 1256.
By letters patent, 37 Edward III., it was ordained and granted, amongst other things, that no
merchant should go into Gascony for wines, nor use the trade of wine in England, except those who in
London were enfranchised in the said mystery there, or who, in other cities, boroughs, and towns, had
skill therein, and that no stranger should retail wines ; and that the merchants of the said mystery of
Vintners should elect four persons to see that all wines were sold by retail in taverns at a reasonable price
for such wine, and of such conditions, as they were known, or named, to be ; and that the taverncrs should
be ruled by such four persons, and likewise that the said four persons should correct and amend all
defaults that should be found in the exercise of the said mystery, and inflict punishments by their good
advice and consideration, if need were, without the mayor, bailiff, or other chief magistrate ; and the King
gave licence to the said Merchant Vintners to export cloth, fish, and herrings in exchange for wines ; and
did ordain that all wines coming to London should be landed above London Bridge, westward towards
the \'intry, so that the King's butler and gauger and searchers might have knowledge thereof, and take the
customs and prices of right due. Which Letters Patent were exemplified and confirmed by inspeximus
by King Henry the Sixth by Letters Patent, bearing date the eighth day of November, in the sixth year
of his reign.
By another charter of King Henry VII., the King and Queen ordained and constituted the
mystery of Vintners of the City of London a mystery of itself, and the freemen and commonalty thereof
were to be one body corporate and politic, in deed, fact, and name, by the name of the master and wardens
and freemen and commonalty of the mystery of Vintners of London.
Other charters are recited from Edward VI., Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth.
The members of the Vintners Company, by patrimony or servitude, and their widows have, by its
230 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
various charters, the right to sell foreign wine without a licence ; and the court of assistants as the
governing body, when a complaint is made that the privilege is abused by any member, summons him
to attend, and after hearing the evidence on both sides, adjudicates according to its discretion. The
utmost penalty is disfranchisement.
The Company exercises control onlv over its own members.
The Company claims to exercise through its members the privilege of selling foreign wine without
licence throughout England.
It appears that from time immemorial this Company also enjoyed the exclusive right of loading and
landing, rolling, pitching and turning all wines and spirits imported to, or exported from the City of
COUNCIL CH.^MBER, VIXTNERS' H.\LL
Vintner Sheriff receiving the Congratulations of his Company.
London, and all places within three miles of the same. From this franchise which was, and still is
exercised by its tackle porters, the Company derived a very considerable emolument till in the years 1799,
1800, 1804, and 1805, several Acts of Parliament were passed, by which this privilege was in a great
measure curtailed. The Company indemnifies those persons employing its tackle porters against all losses
of wines and spirits caused through their negligence or accident.
The number of liverymen called during ten years is 206. The Corporate Income is ^9500 ; the
Trust Income is ^1500.
1. A freeman or his widow has a claim to relief. When admitted by patrimony or servitude, a
freeman, or his widow, enjoys the privilege of a "Free Vintner," and, if exercising such privilege, is e.xempt
from '• Billeting," i.e. having soldiers or sailors quartered in his or her house.
2. The average annual sum distributed amongst the members of the court of assistants has
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 231
amounted, during the last ten years, to ^8S6:iis., being about ^50 each per annum (income
tax free).
Members of the court receive no pensions or donations.
No fees are paid to liverymen or freemen.
The average annual sum paid to liverymen and freemen, and their widows, in pensions and
donations during the last ten years has amounted to ^2503.
3. The qualifications for a pension are : being a member or widow of a member in reduced
circumstances, between the ages of fifty and si.xty, or, if younger, being in ill-health. For a donation :
membership, or being the widow or child of a member.
The site of Vintners' Hall appears in reliable records of the fourteenth century. Strype has the
account of it : That Sir John Stodeye, who held it of Edward III. in free burgage, gave it in 1329, under
style of the Manor of the Vintry, to John Tuke, parson of St. Martin Vintry, as a feoffment ; that Tuke's
successors claimed it as belonging absolutely to the church, whereas it really appertained to the \'intners'
Company; that an inquisition was held in relation thereto before Sir Ralph Joslyn, in 1477 ; that a trial in
the Exchequer followed; and that finally Richard III. decided the ov/nership in favour of the Company,'
reciting the above statements in his grant. It is difficult to harmonise this account with other known
facts ; therefore, leaving it on record, we pass to better authenticated matter. Now, Edmund de Sutton
owned the site in the reign of Edward III. ; upon the Thames bank lay his quay, towards the high street
of the Vintry his houses, cellars, and solars. Upon the east stood Spital Lane and the tenements of the
Abbess of St. Clare in Aldgate ; on the west, Cressingham Lane and the tenement of John Cressingham ;
through the midst ran the boundary line between St. Martin Vintry parish and St. James-at-Garlick-
hithe. Sutton's possession was disputed, trial followed, and Sutton " recovered it from Walter Turke by
Writ of Novel disseisin." Turke was alderman of the ward, and mayor, 1349. Then in 1352 Edmund de
Sutton granted the whole to John de Stodeye who was sheriff that year. The Vintners Company had as
yet no licence in mortmain ; perhaps Stodeye was acting as feoffee for them, perhaps not. Stow relates that
he gave Spital Lane, " with all the quadrant wherein Vintners' Hall now standeth, with the tenements
round about, to the Vintners"; but the statement proves nothing either way. Stodeye's will is dated
1375 ; it makes no mention of the property. His heirs granted it to feoffees, and it passed from one to
another as a feoffment, until finally vested in the Company by the wills of Guy Shuldham (1446) and John
Porter (1496).^ Shuldham's will^ conveys the impression that of his own bounty he added to the original
jjroperty of which he was feoffee. To his foundation are attributed the Vintners' almshouses. His will
describes them as " thirteen little mansions lying together." He directs that in them should dwell rent
free thirteen poor and needy men and women of the Vintners' craft, each to have a penny every week ;
any of them to be ejected for misconduct after three warnings. These " little mansions " were probably on
the Sjjital Lane (at that time Stodeye's Lane) side of the Hall ; after the Great Fire they were removed to
Mile End. Not much is known of the old premises, but Shuldham's will tells us something. There was a
great hall and a refectory, a parlour with a leaden roof, and adjoining it a counting-house with two rooms
above; a kitchen, pantry and buttery, a coal-house, and a "yard" with a well. No doubt the yard lay
betwixt hall and river, and answered to what was the garden in later years. When the Vintners " built for
themselves a fair hall and thirteen almshouses " (to quote John Stow), these miscellaneous and doubtless
inconvenient buildings disappeared. In 1497 the premises were inspected for the purpose of assessing
the fine for amortising them pursuant to the act.' Here a new pair of stocks was erected in 1609 for
punishment of deserving members ; here General Monk was feasted and entertained by special music
on April 12, 1660, shortly after the Restoration. Six years later a restoratidn of a different sort was
' Strype, 1720, vol. i. bk. iii. p. 2, and vol. ii. bk. v. p. 194.
- The documents, eighteen in number, showing the exact history of the property are to be found summarised
in John Porter's will as given in the Calendar of Wills in the Court of Hustings, Part II. p. 596.
•' The will is given in Herbert's Lively Companies, vol. ii. p. 636, and is recited in the Calendar of Wills
in the Court of Hustings. ■• Hazlitt's IJ^'ery Companies, p. 324.
232 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
required ; the Great Fire had wrought its work of woeful ruin, and the Vintners Company must needs
rebuild. In 1823 the hall was almost entirely rebuilt again.
College Street. — The Walbrook stream, crossing the street, divided Vinlry froni
Dowgate ward. It was spanned by a bridge called in the twelfth century Pont-le-Arch,
also, but probably later, Stodum Bridge. The earliest style of the lane east of that
bridge was " Les Arches Lane," and that would be derived from the bridge. Later,
just as St. Mary de Arcabus became St. Mary-Ie-Bowe, so this lane became " the lane
called Le Bowe" ; a will of 1307 so styles it. Quite possible Little College Street
did not then exist, or existed only as a path on the east side of the brook ; if the
latter, there would thus be a bow-like passage from Dowgate Hill to Thomas Street,
and both shape and name would be singularly in accord. West of the bridge the
lane was probably, and in common with the present College Hill, "Paternoster
Lane"; afterwards the hill became "the high street called le Riole," but this lane
seems to have retained the old title until Stow wrote of it. When Walbrook stream
became arched over, the strict division between Paternoster Lane and Le Bowe
Lane disappeared. The course of Walbrook so divided the lane that the north side
from the church to Skinners' Hall was included in Paternoster Lane, and the south
side opposite was' part of Bowe Lane; this distinction would naturally disappear on
the covering of the brook. Before that event Le Bowe Lane would be all in the
parish of Allhallows the Great; in 1307 reference is made to it in the parish of St.
Michael's [IViNs in the Court of Hustings, pt. i. p. 190), so that the covering of the
brook appears already to have taken place, at least in part, by that date. By Stow's
time Le Bowe Lane had become Elbow Lane, and ran by a crescent course from
Dowgate Hill to Thames Street ; Paternoster Lane continued as before. Stow
makes an error in each case ; he misses the true etymology of the former, implying
that its elbow-like bending was the origin of its name, and he surmises that " Les
Arches " was the old title for Paternoster Lane, which was not so. After the Great
Fire the whole thoroughfare from College Hill to Dowgate Hill became Elbow
Lane, and later Great Elbow Lane ; the bend into Thames Street was renamed
Little Elbow Lane. Subsequently the present styles were adopted, and, like College
Hill, commemorate Whittington's College. College Street is quaint : on the south
side No. 24 has been rebuilt, and No. 27 refaced since the post-Fire rebuilding;
otherwise the Vintry portion remains unaltered. The Skinners' Hall and all the
garden belonging to it are close by, though the entry is on Dowgate Hill (see p. 238).
In College Street is the Innholders' Hall.
THE INNHOLDERS COMPANY
From the records of the Company it appears that it was a Guild or Fraternity by prescription
under the name of " Hostiller " before the same was incorporated by charter.
Its earliest known record is a petition preferred on the 12th December, 25 Henry VI. (1446), by
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 233
certain "Men of the Mistery of Hostillars of the City," in tlie chamber at Guildhall before John Colney,
mayor, and the aldermen of the City praying them to confirm certain ordinances which were ordered to
be entered upon the Record and observed in all future times.
The next record is a petition preferred on 28th October, 13 Edward IV., 1437, by the wardens and
certain men of the Mistery of Hostillers in the chamber of Guildhall, before Mr. Hampton, mayor, and
the aldermen of the City, stating that the craft or mistery were called hostillers and not innholders as they
were indeed, by which no diversity was perceived between them in name and their servants being hostillers
indeed, and praying that they might be called innholders and in no wise hostillers, which was ordained
accordingly.
On 31st July, I Richard III., 1483, another petition was preferred.
The present number of liverymen is 86; the Corporate Income is ^1900; the Trust Income
is ^225-
The Innholders were an ancient fraternity which grew out of the Hostelers or Hostillers and the
Haymongers. The former provided a bare lodging for travellers ; the latter provided stabling. The visitor
or lodger had to go to the tavern for his food and drink. The Innholder advanced a step ; he received
the traveller with his horses and his following. If the traveller was a trader, the inn received his wagon,
his merchandise ; while the stable belonging to the inn received his horses. The inn provided food,
wine, and ale. The old Hosteler became the servant of the Innholder and was at last restricted to service
in the stable.
Stow describes the hall as a fair house. After the Great Fire it was rebuilt (about 1670) by Wren and
Jarman, and the west side of the great hall facing Little College Street is of this date. The present College
Street front was built in 1886 from designs by Mr. J. Douglass Mathews, architect. It is a very handsome
three-storied building of red brick. The door is of remarkably fine carving, of curious form, having the
appearance of two doors, the smaller imposed upon the greater. Above the door under a pedimental
canopy are the Company's arms. The great hall, which dates from the old building, is a plain apartment,
with wainscotted walls, and a flat square- panelled ceiling. The fire-place is framed in a fine piece of
marble, and the mantel is of carved wood.
The reception-room is remarkable for a sjjlendid ceiling, said to be Wren's. It has a handsomely
moulded oval panel, covering the centre, whilst the four corners bear respectively : the date 1670, the arms
of Charles II., the City arms, and the Innholders' arms. The room is ])anelled and has a good oak
overmantel.
In the window of the staircase is some old seventeenth-century stained glass, removed from a window
of the great hall. One piece has the arms of Deputy John Knott, " 3rd time master 1670 " ; the other the
arms of Ca])tain Richard Pennar, "once master 1678." The modern court-room is of the 1886 rebuilding,
and has a good moulded ceiling and carved overmantel. It contains two curious old pictures. One the
arms of Charles II., bearing the mark "C.R.2," and showing Might and Power crushing down Rebellion
whilst a peacefiil king reigns. The other is a representation of the Nativity in the Inn at Bethlehem, said
to have been presented by Charles II. It depicts St. Joseph holding a crucifix. 'i"he star in the Inn-
holders' arms is the Star of Bethlehem, which is, of course, shown in this picture.
ST. MICHAEL ROYAL
St. Michael Royal on College Hill derived its name Royal from the adjacent lane "La Riole " (see
p. 223); it was sometimes called St. Michael Paternoster from Paternoster Lane. " Paternoster-cherch " is
first found written in the Calendar of Wills (Court of Hustings, Part I. p. 3) in 1259; "St. Michael de
Paternoster-cherch " in 1284; and " Paternostercherche near la Rayole " in 1301. It was rebuilt by Sir
Richard Whittington. Early in the fifteenth century the old church was small, frail, and ruinous : it stood
where it now stands, but north and east lay unbuilt spaces, green with grass, and possibly tree-planted.
Across the green to the north stood " The Tabard," the dwelling-house of Whittington, who rebuilt the
church on a larger scale, granting land of his own for the purpose in 141 1. The site available measured
234 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
113 feet long from east to west, just as now there is a graveyard 26 feet long. The new building had a
castellated parapet : the tower stood at the west end, square, embattled, surmounted by a great cross.
Beneath the tower a great doorway opened upon Paternoster Lane. It was destroyed in the Great Fire
and rebuilt by Edward Strong, Wren's master-mason, in 1694; the steeple was added in 1713. The
church of St. Martin Vintry was not rebuilt after the Fire, its parish being annexed to this. The parishes
of Allhallows the Great and Allhallows the Less were also annexed in 1893. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1282.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury, 1282; the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury from 1550 to 1666, when St. Martin Vintry
was annexed and the patronage was alternate with the Bishop of Worcester.
Houseling people in 1548 were 213.
The church is oblong in shape, 67 feet in length, 47 feet in width, and 38 feet in height. The oak
altar-piece is said to be the work of Grinling Gibbons, and above it there is a painting by William
Hilton, R.A., presented in 1820 by the directors of the London Institution. The tower is square and
contains three stories terminated by a cornice and parapet, with vases at the angles ; it is surmounted by
a shallow dome on four arches, and encircled by Ionic columns. Above this the steeple is octagonal,
crowned by a pedestal with finial and vane. The total height is 128 feet 3 inches. The church was
repaired and the interior arrangements remodelled in 1864 : in 1895 '' ^^^ again repaired ; at this date the
carved woodwork and the organ case from Allhallows the Great were utilised on the demolition of that
church. Beneath the tower is preserved a carving of the royal arms (William and Mary) ; this stood above
the reredos before the placing of the picture there in 1820. The tower contains one bell.
A chantry was founded here by Lawrence Duket in 1289.
The church contained but few monuments of note. There was one in memory of John Haydon,
mercer. Sheriff 1582, and benefactor of the parish. Sir Richard Whittington, the founder of the church,
was also commemorated; he was buried here with his wife, and the traditional site of the tomb, which was
destroyed in the Great Fire, is where the sanctuary rail and organ are.
The only monument of any interest in the present building is one to Sir Samuel Pennant, who died
1750, during his mayoralty ; he died of gaol fever, caught in discharging his duty in visiting Newgate. There
is a memorial tablet to Jacob Jacobsen on the west wall ; Bishop Wadington's arms can be seen in the
south-west window.
Reginald Peacock, Bishop of Chichester, 1449, was rector here ; also William Ive (d. 14S5), Vice-
Chancellor of Oxford; Humphrey Hody (1659-1707), Regius Professor of Greek, Oxford; and Richard
Smith (1500-1563), Dean of Douai and a great pillar of the Catholic Church.
Under Whittington's will, the church became collegiate in 1424. A college of
St. Spirit and St. Mary, the college house, the almshouse, also of Whittington's
foundation, and a parcel of ground then a garden, but intended for consecration as a
new churchyard, were grouped north of the church, between that and Whittington's
own dwelling. They probably composed a quadrangle. The almshouse was called
"God's House or Alms-house or the hospital of Richard Whittington." It was for
twelve poor folk, men and women, and a "tutor" who had custody of the goods, and
was to preserve order. He had a separate apartment — the twelve others lived more
together ; all dined and supped in common hall. They were to pray daily for their
founder, his wife and others ; to behave seemly ; to read, work, or meditate ; to dress
in dark brown, "not staring nor blazing in colour." The college house was for the
accommodation of five fellows or chaplains, two clerks, and four choristers ; these
composed the collegiate staff. The fellows were secular priests, that is to say, not
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
-OD
regulars or conventual clergy ; they were to be masters of art, poor men, un-
beneficed. One of them was to occupy the position of master. The church ceased
as a rectory when it became a collegiate. The then rector was appointed the first
master and he was to continue his parochial duties.
Before the end of the century the members had formed themselves into a
fraternity — Fraternitas Scantcr Sopluce — for the reading of a divinity lecture. A little
later a divinity reader was provided by a bequest, and another legacy was allotted
to the fellows, so that each should deliver two additional sermons every year, either
in the City or out. Whittington's estates originally produced ^63 per annum for the
college and £^0 per annum for the almshouse. At the suppression of the former,
under Edward VL, the value was returned at only ^20 : i : 8 per annum ; the college
house and garden were sold for ^92 : 2s. to Armagil Waad, or Wade, Clerk of the
Council, in 154S. The almshouse was not then affected, but was and is administered
by the Mercers Company. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire. In 1808 the alms-
house people were removed to Highgate. The Mercers' School, rebuilt in Old Jewry
in 1670, removed to Budge Row in 1787, and burnt down and removed to 20 Red
Lion Court, opposite to St. Antholin's, Watling Street, in 1804. was settled in
the old almshouses on their becoming empty. In 1832 the premises were rebuilt.
Externally they present a plain structure of stone, with a great projecting cornice ;
the interior is spacious, the flagged playground still preserves a suggestion of
collegiate cloisters. Here almsmen walked, here college fellows paced, here hearty
schoolboys shouted — now all is silent and untenanted. The Mercers' School is now
removed to Holborn.
The name College Hill does not occur in Stow, but Newcourt's map of 1658 so
styles it : it bore reference to Whittington's College. As the Duke of Buckingham's
" Litany" (1679) has it, there was thus " Nought left of a College, but College Hill."
Ogilby's post-Fire map (1677) names the street College Hill only so far north as
Cloak Lane ; above that it was Tower Royal Street : both portions are now reckoned
as College Hill as far as Cannon Street. At the corner of the present Maiden
Lane was situated, in the fourteenth century, the house and tavern of Richard
Chaucer, vintner, step-grandfather to Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet. Perhaps the latter
dwelt here.
After the Great Fire " a very large and graceful building " with great courtyards
was erected on College Hill. Here lived the second and last Villiers, Uuke of
Buckingham, " for the more security of his trade, and convenience of driving it
among the Londoners. " This dissolute but clever courtier was nicknamed "Alder-
man Buckingham" and satirised by Dryden as "Zimri ' who was "everything by
starts and nothing long." The house was sometime the residence of -Sir John
Lethieullier, merchant and alderman, sheriff in 1674; it has since disappeared, but
portions of the courtyard remain. One of these is Newcastle Court, on the west of
236
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
College Hill, now merely a yard between backs of great houses, and a postern
entrance to the Cloak Lane Police Station.
Of the general houses which Strype (1720) says were "well built and inhabited
by merchants and others," none remain, except Nos. 3 and 4 on the west side, of
which the latter has a quaintly carved tympanum above the front door: and Nos. 21
WHITTINGTON S HOUSE
and 22 on the east side. The two last or some part of them stand upon the site of
"The Tabard," WhittinQ-ton's own dwell incj-house. Here are two stories of cellars
in the northern house, whose foundation walls are built from stones possibly once
forming the materials of Whittington's mansion. Both premises have massive
staircases, and the southernmost possesses some well-carved doorcases. The little
courtyards before them are each entered through a great porch with timbered sides.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 237
and heavy panelled doors shut it oft" from the street. The arched gateways of the
porches are pedimented, the tympanums filled with a profusion of luxuriant carvings
— grotesque heads, drapery, garlands of flowers and fruit. Above the gateways
stand porch-rooms ; still higher little latticed dormer windows peep out of the quaint,
tiled roofs. The porches are the pride of the hill, and well serve to mark so
illustrious a site.
Stow calls Dowgate Hill "the high street called Downgate," and by that he
doubtless includes both the hill on the north side of Thames Street and Dowgate
Dock on the south side of the same. The east side is now wholly occupied by the
immense wall of Cannon Street hotel and station. Only a portion of the former is
in the ward. Beneath the latter, opening upon the street, are several cellars called
Dowgate vaults. Previously to the erection of the station a lane called Chequer
Yard ran from opposite Dyers' Hall to Bush Lane. Stow terms it Chequer Lane,
or Alley, "of an inn called the Chequer." Its former name, he says, was Carter
Lane, "of carts and carmen having stables there." Strype calls it "a pretty good
open space." Malcolm (1802) says Chequer Yard then consisted of a vast range
of warehouses, many stories in height, always filled with tobacco, cotton, coffee, etc.
Amongst these were the Plumbers' Hall warehouses. Here formerly stood Plumbers'
Hall (see Appendix) and the Chequer Inn. "The Chequer" is mentioned as a
brew-house so early as the reign of Richard III., when it appears to have appertained
to the Erber. It was rebuilt as an inn after the Great Fire, and stood in a court-
yard on the south side of the lane, near the west end. It had a gate and a passage
into Dowgate Hill. Strype (1720) says it was "an inn of no great account, being
chiefly for livery stables and horses." In Strype's 1754 edition all mention of the
inn is omitted, so that it had, presumably, vanished during the intervening thirty-four
years. At the north-west corner of Chequer Yard was the site of the Erber (p. 245).
Previously to the erection of the station, the hill forked opposite to Skinners' Hall
and turned into Cannon Street by two narrow lanes. Of these the north-eastern
was Turnwheele Lane, "from a turnpike in the middle thereof '; the north-western
retained the name of Dowgate Hill. They had between them at the fork a block
of buildings. When the station was built, Turnwheele Lane was covered and
Dowgate Hill was widened by absorbing the block. Towards "the upper end of
the hill, stood the fair Conduit-upon-Dowgate," mentioned by Stow as "castellated,
and made in the year 1568, at charges of the citizens." In Ryther's map, 1604
(British Museum), it is shown to stand in the middle of Dowgate Hill opposite the
end of Cloak Lane. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt. Allen, in
his History of London, places it at the south-east corner of Walbrook, in Walbrook
ward ; evidently he is mistaken. On the west side the ward begins at the corner
of Cloak Lane, of which only a part of the southern side is in Dowgate. Thence
proceeding southwards is Tallow Chandlers' Hall (see p. 243).
238 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
At 8 Dowgate Hill is
THE SKINNERS COMPANY
It is probable that, like other traders who came to London in early times, men following the trade
of Skinners were assigned some separate locality in the town and associated together for the purposes of
a guild.
In course of time, as the guild grew in importance, the Skinners seem to have absorbed or affiliated
unto themselves two other trades, the Upholders and the Tawyers.
It is clear that as long ago as the reign of Henry VI. the guild included among its members other
than those who exercised the trades of Skinner, Tawyer, and Upholder, for in one of the Company's books,
dated 25th July, 23 Henry VI., there is a list of names of the brethren and sistren of the guild at that
time. They amount to twenty in all, and include one doctor, three gentlemen, nine of no trade or
description, two butchers, one dyer, one joiner, one skinner, one grocer, as brethren, and one sister as
silkwife.
The Company has a copy of the charter of Henry \T., but none ot that of Philip and Mary. They
are Inspeximus charters, as also is that of 22nd March, 2 Elizabeth.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth diflerences arose between the working " artesans " of the guild
and the rest of the fraternity, especially the governing body, which continued for many years and culminated
in a surreptitious application in 1606 by the Artisan Skinners for new Letters Patent from the Crown
without the consent or privity of the master and wardens of the guild, and in December 1606 (4 James I.)
a charter was issued. Full inquiry was made. The Lord Mayor and aldermen made their report to the
lords of the Privy Council, who thereupon ordered (March 22, i6o6) that the privy seal that had been
procured by the Artisan Skinners for this new charter appertaining to the Company of Skinners should be
cancelled.
The charters and title deeds of the Skinners Company were surrendered in 1625 like those of the
other City Companies, but in 1641 their privileges were restored.
After the restoration of King Charles II. the Skinners Company obtained the charter dated 20th June,
19 Charles II. It grants nothing new, but merely confirms to the master and wardens of the guild or
fraternity all they had under any of their previous charters.
Passing to 1744, the Artisan Skinners appear to have thought that if they could only be more fully
represented on the governing body of the Company, their trade grievances would be redressed, and they
accordingly, in October 1744, presented a remonstrance to the Court.
The result of this was that in three months the master and three wardens were served with a copy of
a rule for a mandamus commanding them to choose a number of Artisan Skinners to be wardens and
assistants. The governing body, in reply, set out the whole of the proceedings of 1606, but the mandamus
was ultimately issued and a return made to the writ. At the hearing, counsel for the prosecutors, the
artisans, informed the Court of King's Bench that he had perused the return and could not find any
fault with it, and accordingly the judges ordered the return of the master and wardens to be affirmed.
In December 1747 similar hostile proceedings were renewed, and led finally to an information for
a false return being filed against the master and wardens in June 1748. The cause came on for trial at
the King's Bench bar on the 24th April following, and the jurors, without going out of court, brought in
a verdict of not guilty.
The number of liverymen is 200; the Corporate Income is ;£^27,5oo; the Trust Income is
^i7>5oo-
A freeman of the Skinners Company is eligible, as vacancies from time to time occur, to a presentation
for his child to Christ's Hospital, ten such presentations being given to the Company under the benefaction
of Mr. William Stoddart. Besides being eligible for certain almshouses and pensions, poor freemen who
have fallen into straitened circumstances obtain charitable assistance from the Company at the discretion
of the governing body, as also do the widows and children of such poor freemen. Freemen are entitled to
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 239
a preference among applicants for loans under trusts administered by the Company. They are also with
their sons and apprentices eligible under certain conditions for exhibitions founded by the Company, and
their sons will have a preference for admission into the Company's Middle School, referred to in another
part of this return, if there should not be room for all the candidates. Liverymen have similar claims.
They also attend at dinners given to the livery at the Company's Hall, and have the privilege of occasionally
introducing friends at such dinners. The master and wardens and other members of the court have
similar rights and privileges. They also receive fees as members of the governing body in respect of their
attendance at courts and committees as already stated.
Assistance is granted by the Company to members if it appears upon inquiry that from misfortune or
by reason of sickness, infirmity, or from other good cause they are in need.
Stow describes Skinners' Hall as "a fair house, which was sometime called Copped Hall by
Downgate." Copped Hall was purchased by the Skinners, together with several small tenements adjacent,
in the reign of Henry HI. (about 1260-62). The Company afterwards held it under a licence of
mortmain granted by that king. It was subsequently alienated, though by what means is uncertain, and in
1326, according to Stow, it was possessed by Ralph de Cobham, the brave Kentish warrior, who made
Edward HI. his heir. Edward HI. restored the hall to the Skinners at about the time of the Company's
legal incorporation (1327).
Of Copped Hall no plan exists, but it is probable that four small tenements occupied the Dowgate
Hill frontage (50 feet), and it is known that there was a court or quadrangle somewhat like the present
one with an entrance from it direct into the hall. It perished in the Great Fire of 1666, soon after which
the rubbish and lead were sold. There still remain, however, some of the old walls, and the great stone
fireplace of the kitchen was discovered when excavating in the present cellars about 1870. On October
15, 1668, a committee, of which Sir George Waterman, Master of the Skinners, and Sir Thomas Pilkington
were members, was appointed to carry out the rebuilding, the Company meanwhile holding their courts
in various places as at Salters' Hall, the Red Bull Inn, Bishopsgate, and in the church of St. Helen.
In November 1688 "the front houses at Skinners' Hall" were ordered to be rebuilt ; in the February
following the Renter was empowered to make a gateway of stone or timber as he thought fit ; and the
quadrangle was ordered to be 40 feet square. By 1672 the rebuilding must have been practically finished,
for Sir George Waterman kept his mayoralty here in 1672-73, renting the hall for .;!{,i6o.
The Dowgate Hill front was rebuilt under the Company's surveyor in 1777, and Mr. Jupp, afterwards
surveyor to the Company, also made some alterations. This front is somewhat like that of Old Covent
Garden Theatre in the time of Garrick. It is a regular three-storied building of the Ionic order. The
basement part to the level of the first story is of stone, and rusticated ; from this rise six pilasters
supporting an entablature and pediment all of the same material. In the tympanum are the Company's
arms. In the facade are two doorways, one leading to the (|uadrangle before the great hall, the other to
the clerks' offices. Across the quadrangle is a carved doorway, the principal entrance to the lobby in
front of the great hall. This hall is a very handsome apartment. It was rebuilt 1849-50 under the
direction of Mr. G. B. Moore, and was restored and decorated in 1891 at much expense. VSp to tiiat
time the walls had been wainscotted ; they are now panelled in light oak to a higher level, the panelling
being crowned by a fine frieze decorated with raised shields, and a cornice. The carved roof is richly
decorated and contains a wagon-headed skylight. The entrance to the hall is at the north end through
a splendid carved oak screen, which in 1891 supplanted the original Ionic screen ordered for the hall in
1760. Behind the hall is a small Committee room with a good fireplace, above which is a carved panel
in the style of Grinling Gibbons. Beyond is the court room. On the fioor above is the great cedar
parlour or withdrawing room. It is a magnificent chamber, redolent with the scent of the red cedar, in
which material the whole of the interior is executed. The cedar wood is said to have been ijresented by
the East India Company. The walls are wainscotted up to the frieze and cornice, the former of which is
carved both in light and dark wood, the whole being richly gilt. I'Vom the cornice springs the coved
ceiling, which is panelled and painted, and which, some years ago, when the room was redecorated under
the mastershii) of Mr. Charles Barry, architect, was substituted for the old ceiling. The doors are
240 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
handsomely carved and pedimented. Over the fireplace is a panel carved in Grinling Gibbon's best
style, displaying the Company's arms wreathed about with festoons of dark wood on the light cedar panel.
At one end, in glass cases, are two curious coloured statuettes, one representing Edward III., the
other Sir Andrew Judd, both neat pieces of work.
The grand staircase is well designed, and displays some of the massy carving and rich ornaments in
vogue just after the Great Fire. Attached to the hall is a small garden, in which are a tree and several
flower-beds, also a curiously embossed cistern dated 1768. The original cost of the Skinners' Hall was,
according to the A'ew Vieza of London (1708), ;^i8,ooo, but much has since been spent upon it.
Several Lord Mayors and sheriffs have kept their year of office here, and in 1691 the new East India
Company, before their incorporation with the old Company, began to hold their meetings here, paying an
annual rent of ^C^oo. In consequence of these meetings the new Company afterwards presented to the
hall a carved mahogany court-table and silver candlesticks.
THE DYERS COMPANY
The Dyers Company was in existence in 1381, and probably even earlier.
The first charter was that granted by Henry VI. in 147 1 ; this was renewed by Edward IV. in 1472.
The charter was confirmed or renewed by Henry VIII., Edward VI., Elizabeth, and Mary. An Inspeximus
charter was granted, 2 Elizabeth 1559 and by 4 James I. 1606; James II. gave the Company a charter
1688, and they were re-incorporated by Anne 1704.
The number of the livery is now 61 ; the Corporate Income is ;!^5ooo; the Trust Income ;£iooo.
The Company has the right to keep swans on the river Thames. This privilege they share with the
vintners, and the " Barge masters '' of both Companies have the care of the swans.
Dyers' Hall extends from Skinners' Hall to the corner of College Street, and occupies the site of
Jesus' Commons, which was, says Stow (1598), "a college of priests, a house well furnished with brass,
pewter, napery, plate, etc., besides a fair library well stored with books, all which of old time was given to
a number of priests that should keep commons there, and as one left his place, by death or otherwise,
another should be admitted into his room, but this order within this thirty years being discontinued, the
said house was dissolved, and turned to tenements "
The Dyers' Hall consists of a plain four-storied building, the basement being of stone, the upper
part of white brick with stone facings. Part of the lower story is let out as business premises, the corner at
College Street being allotted to the Bunch of Grapes Inn. The great hall is a large and lofty room, but
comparatively plain. It is relieved by rather handsome frieze and cornice and is lighted by two windows,
one at either end.
The Company's Hall in use prior to 1666 stood at the south end of what is now Dyers' Hall Wharf,
Upper Thames Street. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and ai.iparently rebuilt in a stately manner, but
again destroyed by fire in 1681. (Malcolm, 1802.) For several years the Company met in Salters' Hall.
Maitland (1739) says "the Company has converted one of their houses in little Elbow Lane into a hall to
transact their business in." This fell down in 1768. The next hall was erected about 1770. It was a
tolerably spacious unassuming building, the exterior distinguished by a double flight of steps, but was not
of any architectural merit. The present hall was built 1839-40 (Charles Dyer, architect). Some additions
and alterations were made to it 1865-67 by D. A. Corbett, architect. (See Lond. and Mid. Anii. Trans.
vol. V. p. 452.)
The Dyers' Wharf estate is now covered with warehouses. Those on the riverside are known as the
Monument Bonded Warehouses. The archives of the Company were destroyed in the Great Fire.
The slope of Dowgate Hill is now a gradual one, but Stow speaks of it as of
rapid descent, and relates that in 1574 the channels became so swollen and swift iit
a heavy storm of rain, that a lad of eighteen, endeavouring to leap over near the
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 241
conduit, was taken with the stream and carried thence against a cartwheel that stood
in the Watergate, "before which time he was drowned and stark dead." Strype
(1720) mentions that the hill was still so steep that in great rains floods arose In the
lower parts. Ben Jonson speaks of " Dowgate torrents falling into Thames."
Dowgate Wharf or Dock is supposed to have gained its name from its steep
descent to the river, as it was sometimes called Downgate, but this derivation sounds
highly improbable. One of the most ancient ferries over the Thames was at
Dowgate. On the east side of the dock is Walbrook Wharf, showing the spot
vi^here the ancient stream, the Walbrook, reached the Thames.
Robert Green the dramatist, from whom Shakespeare borrowed the plot of his
Wittier s Tale, died (1592) in an obscure lodging at the house of a shoemaker In
Dowgate, Indebted to his landlord for the bare necessaries of life.
At the north end of Dowgate Hill near Cloak Lane stood St. John the Baptist's
Church.
St. John the Baptist was situated on the west side of Dowgate Hill in the ward of ^Valbrook.
Eccksia Sancti Jahannis super Walbroc, occurs about 1181; eccksia Snncti Joins de /f (?/(^/w-4 is set down
in the "Taxatio Ecclesiasticus " of Pope Nicholas IV. (1291). The first mention of the church is con-
tained in a book at the Cathedral (Newcourt, i. p. 371) compiled in the time of Ralph de Diceto made
dean 1 181. The entry is as follows : — '■^Eccksia Sancti Johaiinis super Walhroc est Canonicorum, & reddit
eis ii sol. per manum Vitalis clerici, solvit Synodalia ivd, Archidiacono .\iid. \: habet in domino suo quondam
terram, quae reddit ii sol. & est de feodo Willimi de la Mare, & etiam terrulam, quae est inter ecclesiam &
Walbroc & reddit iii soi. non habet coemiterium."
Thus the earliest church stood upon the east side of the stream, a little tract of land intervening
between its west wall and the bank. When the watercourse was diverted to flow more eastwards, the
chancel bordered on the brook. It was rebuilt about 141 2, and again in 162 1, but destroyed by the
Great Fire in 1666, when its parish was annexed to that of St. Antholin. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1 150.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's in 1150, who
granted it to the Prioress and Convent of St. Helen about 1373, till it was seized by Henry VIII. and
so continued in the Crown up to 167 1, when it was annexed to St. Antholin.
Houseling people in 1548 were 375.
Only two monuments are recorded by Stow as being of note — W. Combarton, Skinner, who gave
lands to the church, buried 1410; and John Stone, Taylor, Sheriff 1464.
The site of the building was converted Into a churchyard, and upon the wall is
a stone with this inscription :
" 'Before the dreadfuU Fire, anno domini 1666, here stood the parish church St. John Baptist, upon
Walbrook— William Wilkins, James Whitchurch, churchwardens this present year anno domini 1674.' The
above stone was refaced, and the letters fresh cut anno domini 1836 — Rev. John Gordon M.-A.. rector,
Edward Jones, Lewis AV'illiams, churchwardens."
The parsonage was not rebuilt, and Strype notes (1754, vol. i. p. 516) that neither
its site nor that of its garden was given in the 1693 visitation. Newcourt
{Reper/oritDH, i. p. 371) further notes that the same visitation records great
242 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
encroachments having been made on the churchyard since the Fire "to some of
which the parish had consented, and others have been done by the Lord Mayor and
Court of Aldermen, without the consent of the Archbishop and Bishop of London
(as 'tis said) and the Chamberlain of London receives the rent for them."
It was reserved for the commercial civilisation of this century to " encroach " the
churchyard out of existence. The Act of the Metropolitan Railway gave the
Company power to construct their Cannon Street Station (1883) under the burial-
ground, and to remove the human remains. The churchyard is no more ; the
greater part of its site is enclosed by a brick wall which screens the opening in the
roof of the station below. At the extreme west end an asphalted square has been
railed in and reserved as a home for gravestones, and a large ornament bearing
this melancholy and curious inscription :
Sacred to the memory of the dead interred in the ancient church and churchyard of St. John the
Baptist upon Walbrook during four centuries. The formation of the District Railway having necessitated
the destruction of the greater part of the churchyard, all the human remains contained therein were
carefully collected and re-interred in a vault beneath this monument a.d. 1884. — Rev. Lewis Borrett
White, D.D., rector; John R. W. Luck, Edward A\'hite, churchwardens.
But why sacred to the memory of the dead during "four centuries" only.''
Had not those buried previously to 1484 any right to commemoration? The
churchyard existed in 1378 and the church in 1181. Truly inscription writers are
marvellous in their discriminating powers. The vault containing the remains is
situated alongside the railway line beneath.
Very interesting discoveries were made when excavating for the station.
Mr. E. P. Seaton, the resident engineer, has preserved some careful notes, from
which the following is an extract: "At the west end of the churchyard was found
a subway running north and south. The arch was formed of stone blocks (Kentish
rag) placed 3 feet apart, the space between being filled up with brickwork. The
sides were of worked red ragstones, 8 by 1 1 inches, and 3 feet long (some i foot
4 inches long), surrounded with rough rubble masonry, set in mortar of a brown
colour. The Hat bottom varied from 2 to 4 feet in thickness and was formed
of random rubble masonry. The brick invert was of much later date, about 6
inches thick and almost a semicircle. The space between the underside of that and
the bottom was filled with made earth. A portion of the arch had been broken
in, and was filled with human bones. The other parts of the subway or sewer were
filled with hand-packed stones. This is supposed to be the centre of the ancient
Walbrook (this supposition is quite correct) and made earth was found to a distance
of 35 feet from the surface. Clay of a light grey colour was then found,
impregnated with the decayed roots of water-plants. The foundations (it is a
matter ot regret that no plan of the foundations was taken ; the opportunity is now
lost for ever) of the old church of St. John the Baptist, destroyed 1666, and pulled down
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 243
about 1677, were discovered about 10 to 12 feet from the surface and composed of
chalk and Kentish ragstones. They ran about north-north-east to south-south-
west. Piles of oak were found which seem to denote that the church was built on
the edge of the brook, which must have been filled up during the Roman occupation,
as numerous pieces of Roman pottery were found." The bottom of the Walbrook
valley was reached at 32 feet below the present street level, and is now 1 1 feet below
the level of the lines in the station. During the excavations the piles and sill of
the Horseshoe bridge which crossed the Walbrook hereabouts were also found near
the churchyard, together with the remains of an ancient boat. These were
unfortunately too rotten to preserve, but a block of Roman herring-bone pavement,
formerly constituting part of a causeway or landing-place on the brook, is now
at the Guildhall Museum. It was found beneath the churchyard 21 feet below
the present level of the street, and was presented by the rector and church-
wardens. Most of the Samian pottery and Roman coins found at this time were
also presented to the Guildhall.
THE TALLOW CHANDLERS COMPANY
The first charter of incorporation of this Company bears date the Sth of March 1462,
2 Edward IV., wherein the then members of the Company are described as " our beloved and faithful
subjects, the Freemen of the Mystery or Art of Tallough Chandlers of our City of London."
It is evident, however, that a company, guild, or other association of tallow chandlers existed in
London before the date of the above charter, seeing that in the year 1426, or thirty-six years prior
thereto, Letters Patent were granted by Henry VL to the mayor of the City of London, and the master
and wardens of the Mystery or Craft of Tallow Chandlers of the same city for the time being, empowering
them to search for and destroy all bad and adulterated oils.
Also in the year 1456, or six years prior to the said charter, a grant of arms and crest was made by
John Smert, Garter King -at -Arms, to John Priour, John Thurlow, William Blakeman, and Richard
Grenecroft, sworn wardens or keepers (gardiens) and several other notable men of the trade and of the
Company of Tallow Chandlers (Chandeliers de Suif) of the City of London, on behalf of and in the name
of their whole confraternity.
At present there is a livery of 102 ; the Corporate Income was not returned to the Commissioners.
The Trust Income is ^220. Maitland says that the Fraternity anciently dealt not only in candles, but
also in oils, vinegar, butter, hops, soap, etc.
Stow designates the hall of the Tallow Chandlers " a proper house." After the Great Fire it was
rebuilt (1672). In 1884 a large red brick and terra-cotta building of five stories, standing upon a
granite base, was erected on Dowgate Hill instead, and upon the site of the old house of the Company's
clerk and beadle, and tlie hall is now approached by a vestibule running under this building.
The vestibule leads into an open quadrangle, which was diminished when the above-mentioned
house was built. It is surrounded by a Tuscan piazza of ten arcades. This piazza in part belongs
to the 1672 building. It was restored in 187 1. The building itself is of red brick. On the first floor is
the great hall, a handsome apartment 50 feet long by 27 feet wide, having a decorated ceiling, and walls
wainscotted with oak panelling and looking-glass to a height of 30 feet. On the south wall are three
great mirrors ; in a broken pediment over the central one are the arms of Charles II. At the north end is
a carved oak screen, in the centre of which are tlie entrance doors, of handsome carved work filled with
stained glass, erected in 1894. The screen itself is of the 1672 building. A heavy carved frieze and
244 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
cornice passes round the hall above the long windows. The pictures include two by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
The court parlour is the handsomest room. It is wainscotted to the ceiling, which is magnificently panelled
in oak, and richly gilt, having in the centre an oval compartment enclosed by an exquisitely moulded wreath
of flowers. The rest is divided into squares and oblongs, filled with groups of flowers and fruit.
An inscription tells us :
"This parlour was wainscotted at the expense of Sir Joseph Sheldon, Knt., a member of this
Company and Lord Mayor of this City a.d. 1675. Who also gave this Company a barge with all
its furniture."
On the second floor is the court-room, which is also wainscotted to the ceiling.
Dowgate, the Steelyard, and Cold Harbour were all very near together. The
Steelyard was so called from the beam of steel by which goods imported into
London were weighed. It stood just where Cannon Street Station now is. It had
a fine hall and courtyard, and was for 300 years held by the members of the
Hanseatic League, a community of foreigners who enjoyed the monopoly of
importing hemp, corn, wax, linen and many other things into England, to the great
loss of our own traders. (See London in the time of the Tndors, p. 82.)
Beyond the station is the City of London Brewery. The archway spanning
the central entrance to this occupies the site of an earlier arch which once carried
the choir and steeple of Allhallows the Less, and led to what Stow speaks of as
"the great house called Cold Harbrough." Its site is now covered by the brewery.
The name of the house is conjectured to be a corruption of the German words
Coiner Herberg (Cologne Inn), which passed into Coin Harbrough, Cole Harbrough,
Cold Harbrough, and Cold Harbour. Cologne being one of the principal of the
Hanse towns, the proximity of the steelyard makes this derivation appear likely.
There are several Cold Harbours in England, none of them remarkable for bleak
situations, but most of them existing in places where commerce once greatly throve.
The house stood at the water's edge. It was a large building, with steps leading
down to the river through an arched door. About the year 1600 it is represented
with five gables facing the water, and rows of mullioned diamond-pane windows —
a beautiful building. It had the right of sanctuary, though how or when gained is
not known.
Until 1607 Cold Harbour had been outside the City jurisdiction, for it is
one of the places added to the City's rule by the charter of James I. to the
mayor, commonalty, and citizens of London in that year. It must have been
deserted by its original inhabitants, the Cologne merchants, before the reign of
Edward II. It belonged to the Poultney family, and was for some time called
Poultney's Inn.
"In the year 1397, 21 Richard II., John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon, was
lodged there, and Richard II., his brother, dined with him. It was then counted a
right fair and stately house : but in the next year following Edmond, Earl of
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 245
Cambridge, was there lodged, notwithstanding the said house still retained the name
of Poultney's Inn in the reign of Henry VI., the 26th of his reign " (Stow).
In 1410 Henry IV. gave it to Henry, Prince of Wales, for life. Margaret,
Countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII., lodged here temporarily; in the
reign of Henry VIII., the Bishop of Durham's house, already mentioned, "being
taken into the King's hands," Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of Durham, was lodged in
"the Cold Harbrough." This Bishop of Durham remained here until 1553, when
he was deposed from his bishopric and Cold Harbour was taken from him. It was
granted by Edward VI., together with its appurtenances and six houses or tenements
in the parish of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East, and certain lands in Yorkshire, to the
Earl of Shrewsbury and his heirs. Edward VI. is said to have given it to the Earl
at the instance of the Duke of Northumberland, " who practised to gain as many of
the nobility as he could to his purpose. " It then became known as Shrewsbury
House. Francis, fifth Earl of Shrewsbury, who died in 1560, and his son, the sixth
Earl, the guardian for fifteen years of Mary, Queen of Scots, took it down, "and in
place thereof built a great number of small tenements, now letten out for great rents
to people of all sorts" (Stow). The Earl died in 1590. The tenements were
destroyed in the Fire of 1666. No remains of the building exist unless Wren
utilised some of the stones in rebuilding Allhallows the Great. Hubbard, writing
in 1843, says that a foundation wall of the house and the ancient stairs still survived
in his time.
Stow calls The Erber a "great old house" and says that Geoffrey Scroope held
it by gift of Edward III. in 1341. It subsequently belonged to John Nevil, Earl of
Raby, who appears to have died some years prior to 1 396. The last of the
honourable family of the Scroopes to possess it was William de Scroope, Knt.,
who lived in the reign of Henry IV. He gave it for life to his brother Ralph Nevil,
Earl of Westmoreland, who married, as his second wife, Joan, daughter of the Duke
of Lancaster. Ralph Nevil died, seised of the Erber, in 1426, and his wife in 1441.
Their son Richard Nevil, Earl of Salisbury, was lodged here in 1547. He died
in 1460, and the Erber passed to his son Richard, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury,
"the king-maker," who was slain at the battle of Barnet Field in 1471. In 1474,
George, Duke of Clarence, who had married Isabel, daughter of "the king-maker,"
then received it from Edward IV. who gave it to him and his heirs so long as there was
living male issue of the Marquis Montacute. If the said male issue should die during
the duke's life, then the duke to remain seised for life, taking precedence of the rights
of all others than the marquis and his issue. The Duke of Clarence died in 1479.
After his death, Edward, his son, was seised of the Erber, and George, Duke of Bed-
ford, son of John Nevil, Marquis Montacute, dying without male issue in 1483, the lands
remained in the hands of Edward till 1500, when he was attainted and the lands thus
came to the Crown. Here they remained until 1512, when Henry VIII. gave them
246 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
to John, Earl of Oxford, and his heirs male. In 1513 the King gave the reversion
to Sir Thomas Bulleyn, Knt., and his male heirs. In 15 14 he restored Margaret,
daughter and heir to George, Duke of Clarence, and to all the lands of Richard,
Earl of Salisbury, "who by colour of restitution entered, and was attainted in 1540.
So the lands came back to the Crown, and were given in the next year to Sir Philip
Hoby, who in 1545 sold the Erber to one Doulphin, a draper, who in 1553 sold it
to the Drapers Company. Strype, who gives these particulars, says that notwith-
standing this account "by some lawyers and historians in those days," it appears by
the Rolls (1405) that there was a surrender of the Erber from Ralph, Earl of
Westmoreland, to the King for the use of John Darrel, and Walter de Arkham ; that
Richard III. possessed it under the name of " The King's Palace," and that one
Ralph Dowel, a yeoman of the Crown, was keeper of this place. Dowel seems to
have repaired not only the Erber, but also other houses belonging to it, "particularly
a brewhouse called the Chequer," as appears by a ledger-book of the King's in
which the accounts of Dowel are said to be examined by John Hewyk, one of the
King's auditors. Orders were given to Lethington, bailiff of the lordship of the
Clavering in Essex, "to content him," but ^14 : 18 : 3 still remained in arrears due
to him for the repairs. Stow says that the Erber had been lately rebuilt by Sir
Thomas Pullison, and that it was afterwards inhabited by Sir Thomas Drake.
St. Mary Bothaw was situated on the east side of Turnwheele Lane, Cannon Street. The date of
foundation is unknown. Newcourt mentions Adam Lambyn as a rector, who died 1279. In the Taxation
Book of Pope Nicholas IV., 1291, the church occurs as Sancte Marie de Bothaw. It was destroyed by
the Great Fire, but not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to that of St. Swithin. Stow supposes, for want
of a better theory, that " this church being near unto the Down-Gate in the river of Thames, hath the
addition of Bothaw, or Boat Haw, of near adjoining to a haw or yard, wherein of old time boats were
made, and landed from Downgate to be mended." Strype mentions that it seems " of old to be called
St. Mary de Bothache," and Mr. Loftie in his London City (1891) says that the name is "most likely from
'la board hatch,' a wooden gate-lock called also in some ancient documents 'Board-Hatch.'" The map
by Agas c. 1560, and Hollar's view of London, call the church St. Mary Buttolph Lane. It is somewhat
remarkable that Dowgate is almost the only one of the older City gates which has no Church of St. Botolph
near by, as at Billingsgate, Aldgate, Bishopsgate, and Aldersgate. The term St. Mary Bothol occurs more
than once in records of the sixteenth century. Can it be that the name bears witness to the existence of a
St. Botolph's Church here, which was dedicated to the Virgin, with the name Botolph attached as a
remembrance of the former appellation? The earliest date of an incumbent is 1281.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury, before 1281 ; the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury from 1552 up to the time it was annexed
to St. Swithin in 1666.
Houseling people in 1548 were 182.
Chantries were founded here : By Lady Joan Fastolf, to which Robert Kirke was instituted. May 10,
1445 j by and for John, son of Adam de Salusbury, who endowed it with a tenement called the "Key" in
Coleman Street, which fetched £,1 in 1548; by and for John Hamond, before 1387 ; by James le Butler;
by Hugh Fostall.
Many noble persons were buried here, as appeared from the arms in the windows, the defaced tombs,
and print of plates torn up and carried away. The most remarkable, perhaps, was that of Sir Henry
Fitz-Alwine, draper, the first Lord Mayor of London, who continued in his position for twenty-four years.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 247
Here, too, Robert Chicheley, grocer and mayor of London in 1422, was buried ; he appointed by his will
that 2400 poor men should each have a good dinner on his birthday, and he also gave a plot of land for
the building of the parish church, called St. Stephen's, Walbrook.
No charitable gifts are recorded by Stow
At the construction of Cannon Street station and hotel, in 1 866-68, the churchyard
was buik over. Its site is now immediately under the steps leading from the hotel
to the forecourt, and is occupied by part of a corridor, a carpenter's shop, a knife-
cleaning room, and a coal cellar, all of which belong to the hotel basement.
The north-western side of the station forecourt stands upon the site of
Turnwheele Lane, a narrow turning which formerly led from Cannon Street by
a westerly slope into Dowgate Hill, which it joined opposite the northern boundary
of Skinners' Hall. Stow calls it "a little lane with a turnjaike in the middle
thereof." Strype (1720) terms it Turnwheele Lane, but the New Remarks of London
(1732) style it Turnmill Lane. By the eastern side of the station runs Allhallows
Lane leading northward into Bush Lane. The church of Allhallows the Great stood
here until 1898, and east of it was Allhallows the Less.
Allhallows the Great was situated on the south side of Thames Street. This church has been
known, at various times, as All Saints, AUhallows-ad-foenum, AUhallows-in-the-Hay, AUhallows-in-the-Ropery
("because," says Stow, "of hay sold thereunto at Hay Wharf, and ropes of old time made and sold in the
high street"), Allhallows the More ("for a difTerence from Allhallows the Less"), Allhallows the Great, which
has been the name at least since the Fire. Of its first foundation there is no record, but from the fact
that the riverside is the oldest inhabited part of the City it may be nearly coeval with the establishment of
Christianity in London. The first actual mention of it is in 1361 when, according to Newcourt, one
Thomas de Wodeford was rector. In 1627 and 1629 it was repaired and redecorated, and a gallery built
at the west end, but the whole was destroyed by the Great Fire. In 1683 it was rebuilt, the architect being
Wren, and Allhallows the Less, its neighbour, united with it by Act of Parliament. In 1877 the tower and
north aisle were taken down to widen Thames Street. The church was taken down in 1898 The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1279.
The patronage was in the hands of the family of Le Despensers before 1314; Richard Beauchamp ;
Richard Nevil, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury, 1465; George, Duke of Clarence, before 1480; Edward,
eldest son of Isabel, Duchess of Clarence, 1480; Edward IV.; Henry VII., as a gift from Anne, widow
of Richard Nevil, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury; Henry VIII.; the Archbishop of Canterbury, by
exchange, 1569, in whose successors it continues
Houseling people in 1548 were 550.
There was a large cloister originally on the south side of the church, but it was in a considerable
state of ruin in 1627.-
The plan was nominally an oblong square, but, owing probably to the desire of Wren to make use
of the old foundations, its walls were neither built parallel nor four-square. The length was 87 feet, the
height 33 feet, and the width 60 feet, of which the nave was made 48 feet wide and a north aisle 1 2 feet
wide. To the north aisle was also attached a heavy square tower, occupying a portion of the aisle. The
elevation was finished with a cornice and parapet. The tower rose above the second division from the
east to a height of 86 feet. The church was celebrated for its beautiful woodwork, which, on its demoli-
tion, was removed to St. Michael Royal.
Chantries were founded here by : Richard de Preston, citizen and grocer, at the Altar of
St. Katherine, for himself and Agnes his wife, and to which Alfred Lyndon was admitted chaplain in 1396;
Peter Cosin whose will is dated 1291 (Fat. 43 Edward III. p. 2 m. 12); Sir Nicholas Lovin for himself
248 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
and dame Margaret liis wife ; William Lichfield, augmented by Thomas Westhowe, both of which
endowments fetched jCS : i6 : 8 in 1548 ; and William Peston.
The church formerly contained monuments to : William Lichfield, Doctor of Divinity ; John Brickies,
a great benefactor. Queen Elizabeth's monument, " If Royal \'ertues, etc.," was also in this church.
Two charity schools were erected in 1715, consisting of thirty boys and twenty girls supported by
voluntary subscriptions from the inhabitants of the ward.
Among the notable rectors of this church are : Thomas White (1628-98), Bishop of Peterborough;
Hon. James York, Bishop of Ely, 1781; Robert Richardson, D.D. (1732-81), Dean of Lincoln;
Edward Waddington (d. 1731), Bishop of Chichester ; William Vincent (1739-1815), Dean of Westminster;
William Cave, author (1637-17 13).
In 1877 a new vestry was built on the south side of the church. It is approached
from Allhallows Lane by steps, through an arched doorway, above which stands
what is called " the tower," a mean erection and a mere apology for a tower. Its
height does not e.xtend beyond the church roof. The vestry is fitted with the
panelling and the pedimented doorway brought from the old north aisle, from w^hich
also come the two fantastically and beautifully carved wooden shields, now placed
respectively over the fireplace and the door. The ceiling is a neat piece of panelling.
The room is used for the holding of the Dowgate wardmotes. The churchyard
(south of the church) is much higher than the lane at its side. It contains one tree,
several tombs, and in the north-west corner the vestry-room. The enclosure
remains an open space even after the demolition of the church.
Allhallows Church was dismantled in 1894. The screen, the pulpit, the altar
rails, the brass candelabra, and some of the woodwork went to St. Margaret,
Lothbury ; the organ case, the font rails, the statues of Moses and Aaron, most of
the carved woodwork, the monuments, and the stained-glass arms of Bishop
Waddington went to St. Michael, Paternoster Royal. The carved- wood altar was
allotted to the new Church of Allhallows, North St. Pancras, which was to be
erected partially from the funds arising out of the sale. The clock by Ericke was
bought by a gentleman connected with the City of London Brewery, where it now
stands. The site and the materials of the fabric were sold by auction on July 31,
1894, for ^31,100.
ALLHALLOWS THE LESS
Allhallows the Less was situated on the south side of Thames Street, to the east of Allhallows
the Great ; it was called by some Allhallows-on-the-Cellars, from its standing on vaults. It is said to
have been built by Sir John Poultney. After the Great Fire the church was not rebuilt and the parish
was annexed to Allhallows the Great. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1242.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Bishops of Winchester in 1242 ; master and
chaplains of Corpus Christi College, Candlewick Street.
Houseling people in 1548 were 200.
The steeple and choir of this church stood on an arched gate, which was the entry to a great house
called Cold Harbour. Dormers were made on the south side of the church in 1613 to lighten it, and
several galleries subsequently added.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 249
A chantry was founded here by James Andrew, the endowment of which fetched ;^8 : 9 : 4 in 1548.
The donors of charities to this church were : Elizabeth Bannister, ^5 ; Anne Hope, ;^5 ; Roger
Daniel, ;^8 ; and Samuel Goldsmith ;^6, paid by the Company of Dyers.
Two charity schools were erected in 17 15 consisting of thirty boys and twenty-eight girls supported
by voluntary contributions from the inhabitants of the ward.
Cannon Street was formerly Candlewick Street. It was part of the ancient
Roman highway that ran through the City and was once called Watling Street
throughout its whole length. Many deeds are extant relating to Candlewick Street.
Roman remains have been found in Cannon Street including tessellated
pavements and a bronze statuette of Hercules.
In 1369 mention is made of the " Yeldehalle " in Candlewick Street, probably
the " Hula Dacorum," Hall of the Danes mentioned in the Liber Albus, where we
learn that it was occupied by the Cologne merchants and perhaps by those of Dinant
also. The building was probably the "Great stone Binn " called " Olde Hall"
mentioned by Stow.
One of the Caxton family, of whom there were so many in the City, named
William de Caxton, lived here in 1342, and left to the Rector of St. Swithin his
mansion in this street for the maintenance of a chantry.
The Calendar of Wills proves that we are in the most populous and ancient
part of London. Between 1259 and 1350 there are more than fifty references to
Candlewyke Street. The place is famous for its weavers, and especially for the
coarse cloth they made here called " burel." There was a fraternity of the
" Burellers " working here. In 1334 one hundred foot-soldiers were provided with
"gowns" of cloth made in Candlewyke Street. There was also a petition drawn
up by the "good-folk" of this street and Clement's Lane against the melting of
lead in their midst.
From Eastcheap to Walbrook, the title was for many centuries Candlewick,
Candlewright, or Canewyke .Street. " Candelwykestrete " is mentioned in the City
Records as early as 1308; " Canewykestrete " appears 1376-99, and again as
" Cainwicke St." in the map of Ralph Agas c. 1560. Stow gives three possible
derivations : (1) From Candlewright, a maker of candles ; (2) from the yarn or cotton
candle-wick ; (3) from candle-wike, a " wike " being a place where things are made.
The proximity of Tallow Chandlers' Hall in Dowgate Hill points to this as the
candlemakers' quarter of the City, and favours the first and third theories rather
than the second. In Ryther's map of London, 1604, it is styled "Conning Streete,"
(probably a misprint for Canning Street), and Newcourt in his 1658 map of London
calls it " Cannon Street," so that the change from Candlewick to Canwyke, Conning,
and Cannon appears to have taken place within a comparatively short space of time.
The weavers of woollen cloths, brought from Flanders by Edward HI., probably
dwelt here: "cloth of Candelwykestrete" is mentioned in City records in 1334;
250 SURVEY OF THE CITY OE LONDON
and Stow says that these weavers obtained permission in 1371 to meet in the
churchyard of St. Lawrence Pountney close by. They appear not to have remained
long in the neighbourhood, but their advent led to a settlement of many drapers in
this part of the City and ultimately to the founding of the Drapers' Hall in St.
Swithin's Lane. In Stow's time the street was "possessed by rich drapers, sellers
of woollen cloth, etc." After the Great Fire the street, Strype says, was " well
built and inhabited by good tradesmen."
There are two churches in the street, which is now extended to the south-east
corner of St. Paul's, sweeping away Distaff Lane, Basing Lane, Little St. Thomas
Apostle, and a bit of Budge Row. London Stone is in this street. Beside London
Stone Henry Fitz Ailwyn or Alwyne, first mayor of London, had his residence.
Here lived the Earl of Oxford, who, about the year 1540, according to Stow, rode to
his house with eighty gentlemen in " livery of Reading tawny," and chains of gold
about their necks and " one hundred tall yeomen in the like livery to follow him
without chains, but all having his cognizance of the blue boar introduced on their
left shoulders." This retinue was discountenanced by the Tudors and fell into disuse.
Perhaps this earl was the last to maintain so great a following.
London Stone was probably the pillar set up in the Roman fort to mark the
milliarmm, the beginning of mile.
Some have supposed this stone to be the remains of a British druidical circle
or religious monument. Strype quotes Owen of Shrewsbury as giving rise to
this view by his assertion that "the Druids had pillars of stone in veneration,
which custom they borrowed from the Greeks, who, as Pausanius writeth,
adored rude and unpolished stones." Malcolm suggests that, if it is of British
origin, "policy may have induced the Romans to preserve it, as a relic highly
valued by the Londoners, or as the monument of some great event." The general
opinion, since Camden's time, seems to be that the stone is of Roman origin, but its
first purpose still remains uncertain. Stow notes that some considered it to have
been set "as a mark in the middle of the City within the wall ; but, in truth, it
standeth far nearer to the river of Thames than to the wall of the City." He says,
also, that others thought it was set for the payment of debts, on appointed days,
" till, of later times, payments were most usually made at the font in Font's Church
(St. Paul's), and now most commonly at the Royal Exchange."
Sir Christopher Wren was of opinion that "by reason of its large foundation, it
was rather some more considerable monument in the Forum ; for, in the adjoining
ground to the south, upon digging for cellars after the Great Fire, were discovered
some tessellated pavements, and other extensive remains of Roman workmanship
and buildings." Originally, no doubt, the erection was of considerable proportions,
and a suggestion is made in the Parentalia that this milliarium was not in the
form of a pillar as at Rome, but probably resembled that at Constantinople, which
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 251
must have been a large building "for under its roof, according to Cedrenus, and
Seidas, stood statues of Constantine and Helena, Trajan, an equestrian statue of
Hadrian, a statue of Fortune, and many other figures and decorations."
Strype considers it likely that this stone was, in after days, the place from which
proclamations and public notices were made. This is confirmed in Pasquill and
Marforius (1589): "Setup this bill at London Stone. Let it be done solemnly
with drom and trumpet." Malcolm considers that it was certainly regarded for some
ages as "a rallying point for the citizens in times of insurrection, as Guildhall would
now be." At any rate, when in 1540 Jack Cade, ''the Kentish rebel, who feigned
himself to be Lord Mortimer," forced his way into the City from Southwark, he
marched to London Stone, where he found a great concourse of citizens, the Lord
Mayor being among them. Here, according to Holinshed's account, he struck his
sword upon the stone, exclaiming, " Now is Mortimer Lord of this City," as if.
Pennant remarks, "that had been a customary ceremony of taking possession."
This scene occurs in the second part oi Henry II'., Act iv. Sc. 6, where Shakespeare
makes Cade enter Cannon Street with his followers, and strike the stone with his
siaff 'msi&2Ld of his siuord. To quote Fabian, " Rome, Carthage, and Jerusalem have
been caste downe " with many other " cytyes," yet
Thys, so oldely founded.
Is so surely grounded,
• That no man may confounde yt,
It is so sure a stone
That yt is upon sette,
For though some have it thrette
With Manasses grym and great,
Yt hurt hath it none :
Chryste is the very stone
That the Citie is set upon :
Which from all his foon
Hath ever preserved it.
By means of dyvyne servyce
That incontinuall wyse
Is kept in devout guyse
Within the mure of it.
However great the stone may have been in the beginning, the ravages and
fires of London could have left but little of the original remaining in the sixteenth
century.
After the Fire its foundations were disclosed by Wren : no doubt a certain
part of its upper end had been destroyed in the llames and possibly damaged
in clearing away debris, but at all events a small portion of it, in shape somewhat
like a cannon ball, was saved, says Strype, and placed within " a new stone
handsomely wrought, cut hollow underneath, so as the old stone may be seen, the
new stone being over it to shelter and deface the venerable one." Strype's map
252 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
shows that the stone, in its new case, was at first re-erected on the old site on
the south side of the street. On December 13, 1742, it was complained of as an
obstruction, and was removed by order of the churchwardens of St. Swithin, at
a cost of I2S., to the opposite of the "kerbstone" on the north side of the street.
By kerbstone is here meant the stone protecting the foot of the buildings and not
(as now) a stone protecting a pavement. At the beginning of 1798 the church
was about to undergo a complete repair, and the historic stone was actually doomed
to be removed as a nuisance. Fortunately Mr. Thomas Maiden, a printer of
Sherborne Lane, championed the cause, and prevailed on one of the parish officers
to preserve it and to have it replaced against the church wall. The enclosing stone,
"somewhat like a Roman altar," had formerly a curved bar of iron projecting
across the elliptical aperture through which the relic is seen ; but the present grill
was placed over the front of the case in 1869, when the present inscription, in
English and Latin, was cut in the wall of the church over the stone at the instance
of a Committee consisting of members of the London and Middlesex Archaeological
Society, and the parish officers. At the same time a careful examination of the
stone itself was made. It was found to measure about a foot cube, and that instead
of being basaltic, Capable of giving off sparks when struck by steel, it was in reality
an oolite, such as the Romans used extensively in their buildings, and sometimes
for coffins and sepulchral monuments, thus corroborating the idea of its Roman
origin.
In Cannon Street is the Cordwainers' Hall.
THE CORDWAINERS COMPANY
The AUutarii or Cordwainers appear to have been voluntarily associated together as a craft or
mystery from very remote times, probably as early as the Conquest, in close connection with the
municipality of London. Its object was to encourage and regulate the trades connected with the
leather industry, and included the flaying, tanning, and currying of hides, and also the manufacture and
sale of shoes, boots, goloshes, and other articles of leather. In the thirteenth and following centuries
several branches separated and formed distinct communities, such as the girdlers, tanners, curriers,
and leather sellers.
The first existing Ordinance of the Cordwainers (AUutarii) is found in Liber Horn, folio 339,
and was made in the 56th year of King Henry III., Anno Domini 1272.
The Company was originally called the "AUutarii," and became first connected with the " Coblers "
in the 14th century. Maitland explains that the Cobler was not only the maker but the vendor of boots
and shoes. As people in cold countries always wanted shoes, the Guild or Fraternity of shoemakers
was certainly ancient. In 1375 the "reputable" Cordwainers submitted their ordinances to the mayor.
In 1378 we learn that " discreet " men of the trade had authority to seize hides badly tanned. In
1395 the Cordwainers and the Coblers — i.e. the workers in new and old shoes — adjusted their differences,
but that in 1409 the dissensions between them broke out again and were once more composed. In
1387 three journeymen cordwainers were haled before the mayor, charged with illegally forming a Fraternity
of themselves excluding the masters. Another indication of the existence of an ancient Fraternity is
that of the brawling and fighting in 1304 of the cordwainers and the tailors.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 253
The first charter of incorporation was granted by King Henry VI. 1439, whereby, in consideration
of the payment of fifty marks, he granted to the freemen of the Mysterie of Cordwainers (Allutariorum)
of the City of London that they should be one body or commonalty for ever, that they should every
year elect and make of themselves one master and four wardens to rule and govern the said mysterie,
and all men and workers of the mysterie and commonalty, and all workmen and workers whatsoever of
tanned leather relating to the said mysterie, to search and try black and red tanned leather and all new
shoes which should be sold or exposed for sale, as well within the said City as without, within two
miles thereof.
The above charter was exemplified and confirmed by the charter 4 and 5 Philip and Mary
(June 17, 1557).
The charter or Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth, dated August 24, in the fourth year of Her
Majesty's reign (a.d. 1562), exemplifies and confirms the exemplification of Philip and Mary.
The charter further grants to them the government of all persons exercising the said trade within
the City of London and three miles round about the said City and suburbs, the privilege having previously
run only to two miles. Also the power of making bylaws for such purpose is thereby given to the
master, wardens, assistants, and commonalty.
King James L, in the tenth year of his reign, granted another charter to the Company.
A new charter was granted by King James H. in the first year of his reign, but it would appear
that this charter was afterwards annulled by Act 2 William and Mary, cap. 9 ; but this same Act
restored and confirmed all previous charters.
The first Hall was burned in the Great Fire : it stood in Great Distaff Street ; since this street
was swallowed up by Cannon Street, the Hall, rebuilt after the Fire, and again in 178S, and greatly
altered since then, has now a frontage in Cannon Street.
The livery is now 100 ; the Corporate Income is ^7700 i the Trust Income ;^i6oo.
Of the cordwainers. Stow speaks as follows :
" In this Distar Lane, on the north side thereof, is the Cordwainers', or Shoemakers' hall, which
company were made a brotherhood or fraternity, in the iith of Henry IV. Of these cordwainers I read,
that since the 5th of Richard II. (when he took to wife Anne, daughter of Vesalaus, King of Boheme), by
her example, the English people had used piked shoes, tied to their knees with silken laces, or chains
of silver or gilt, wherefore in the 4th of Edward IV. it was ordained and proclaimed, that beaks of
shoone and boots should not pass the length of two inches, upon pain of cursing by the clergy, and
by parliament to pay twenty shillings for every pair. And every cordwainer that shod any man or
woman on the Sunday to pay thirty shillings."
Suffolk House, in Suffolk Lane, stands upon the site of the old Merchant
Taylors' School, and hence also upon the site of the Manor of the Rose.
This was a famous mansion once called Poultney's Inn, from Sir John Poultney,
who dwelt here after his removal from Cold Harbour. This was probably in 1348,
for in that year (the year after he founded his college of Corpus Christi, by the
church of St. Lawrence Poultney (or Pountney) on Lawrence Poultney Hill) he gave
the Cold Harbour to the Earl of Hereford and Essex, for "one Rose at Midsummer,
to him and his heirs for all services, if the same were demanded" (Stow). It seems
most probable that this light "service" is accountable for the name of the Manor of
the Rose. Subsequently the Manor belonged to John Holland, Duke of Exeter,
then to William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, attainted and beheaded 1450. His son
John, made Duke of Suffolk in 1463, does not appear to have possessed it, but his son
John, Earl of Lincoln, owned it at the time of his attainder in 1487. It remained
254 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
with the Crown until 1495, when it was restored to Edmund de la Pole, Duke of
Suffolk, on whose forfeiture of it by treason it was granted in 1506 to Edward
Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, who kept possession of it until he was attainted and
beheaded in 1521. Shakespeare {Henry VIII., Act i. Sc. 2) alludes to "The
Rose within the parish of St. Lawrence Poultney," in connection with the Duke of
Buckingham. After remaining wMth the Crown for about four years it was granted
OLD MERCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOL, SUFFOLK LANE, CANNON STREET
in 1526 to Henry Courtenay, Earl of Devon, who had recently been created Marquis
of Exeter. He was beheaded in 1539, when the property again fell to the Crown.
In 1540 it was granted to Robert Radcliffe, Lord Fitzwalter, Earl of Sussex, whose
son and grandson held it in turn. In 1560-61 it was sold and shortly after divided
into moieties, of which one part was afterwards sold for the use of the Merchant
Taylors' School. All that remained intact of the mansion perished in the Fire of
1666, except a few portions of which the chief were a wall in Ducksfoot Lane, and
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 255
a crypt extending from Suffolk Lane to Lawrence Poultney Hill. At the rebuilding
of the City, No. 3 Lawrence Poultney Hill stood over this crypt, which remained
until that house was pulled down in 1894, when, despite the protests of the
antiquarians, the crypt was ruthlessly destroyed.
After the Fire the school was rebuilt on the old site, in 1675, the head-master's
house being erected adjoining it.
The school premises were enlarged at various times, especially in 1829. In
1875 they became too small for the requirements of the school, and the old Charter-
house School having been removed to Godalming, the Charterhouse site was bought
by the Merchant Taylors Company for ;^90,ooo, and Merchant Taylors' School was
moved to its present quarters. The old premises were taken down, and Suffolk
House was erected in part upon their site in 1882.
The pious Robert Nelson, author of the Fasts and Festivals, was born in
Suffolk Lane, June 22, 1656. His father, John Nelson, was a wealthy trader to the
Levant.
Strype calls Ducksfoot Lane Duxford. The name is, perhaps, a corruption of
Duke's Footmen's Lane, tradition asserting that this lane contained the servants'
entrance to the Duke of Suffolk's house, the Manor of the Rose. In that case
" footmen " is equivalent to retainers, or men-at-arms, whose quarters would probably
be at the back of the mansion. Wilson {History 0/ St. Lazvrence Poultney) thinks
it was once called Duke's-foot-lane, meaning a narrow way to the mansion.
The only old house in the Lane is No. 2, which possesses a very interesting
interior. The building is now used for offices, but was originally a merchant's
residence. The old dining-room is a fine chamber, having panelled walls profusely
decorated with florid designs in raised composition. The panel over the
chimney-piece is particularly good. The entablature of the handsome mantel is
supported by fluted Ionic pilasters, the frieze filled with flowers and fruit, and the
keystone embellished with a curious rural scene. There are several other quaint
mantels in the house, one being of coloured marbles exquisitely painted with figures
and scenes. The great staircase with its wainscotted walls and fine balusters is a
good piece of work. The cellars are very extensive, and there are traces of a
subterranean passage which formerly led to the Thames. The staircase and the
old dining-room were copied by Mr. John Hare, and staged at the Garrick Theatre
for Mr. Pinero's play The Profligate, first performed in 1889.
Laurence Pountney Hill. — Stow calls this hill St. Laurence Hill. The part
from Cannon Street to Suflblk Lane was formerly Green Lettice Lane, but was re-
named under the present title only, on the widening of Cannon Street, 1853-54.
The two houses at the corner of Suffolk Lane are splendid specimens of early
eighteenth-century architecture. Both are finished with a handsome cornice. The
doorways of both are side by side and have lintels and architraves of such rich
256 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
carving as to be unsurpassed in tlie City by any doorways of similar size and style.
The lintels are both concave : that on the southern house contains garlands of
flowers, a cherub's head, and the date 1703, that on the northern consists of a large
scallop shell having in it two naked children. The staircase in the northern house,
with its fine twisted balusters, is one of the best original staircases left in the City.
The southern house has been modernised for business premises and spoiled. Next
below is a plot recently bared, where was the vault alluded to under Suffolk Lane.
At the north-east corner of Ducksfoot Lane is an old house, a good specimen
of the domestic architecture after the Fire. Next to it eastwards is the southern
half of St. Lawrence Pountney Churchyard now disused. It contains three trees
and several tombs. In summer a large-leafed plant covers almost the whole area.
Across the enclosure is another fine old house, now used for offices, containing
handsome rooms and a fine balustered well-staircase.
Dr. William Harvey, the discoverer of the circulation of the blood, came to live
with his brother Eliab opposite St. Lawrence Pountney Church, after the surrender
of Oxford. Both Eliab and another brother Daniel were rich and distinguished
merchants on the hill. Richard Glover, the author of Leonidas, was also an
eminent merchant on this hill.
The character of Laurence Pountney Lane on both sides (except the modern
warehouses on the east side at the corner of Upper Thames Street) is that of the
rebuilding after the Fire. Perhaps as a whole this lane preserves this character
better than any other thoroughfare in the ward. At the Upper Thames Street end,
on the west side, is a house which, though rebuilt on the Upper Thames Street front,
retains the old side wall. This is still pierced with narrow windows filled with
little squares of glass in lead-work. On the same side of the lane are several
carved lintels, and well-panelled deeply recessed doorways. Near the lower end is
an old house beneath which is an archway leading to a courtyard, cellars, and offices.
The house is partly tenanted by Messrs. Cooper, Box & Co., who fir^t made beaver
hats here in 1830 or thereabouts. The back part at the end of the yard, and the
front windows were added about 1855. The cellars at the rear of the yard used to
contain the vats in which the beaver hats were dyed. The lease of the house dating
from shortly after the Fire is still in existence. In the yard is an arched doorway of
stone, and solid arches of the same material support the walls of the house in the
basement cellars. The stone no doubt came out of the ruins of buildings destroyed
in the Fire ; possibly some of it from the Manor oi the Rose.
At the beginning of 1543 Master Arundel kept a house of entertainment in this
lane, much resorted to by the gay young men of that time. Henry, Earl of Surrey,
the poet, was summoned before the Privy Council to answer certain charges, when
Mistress Arundel, being examined, said that the Earl of Surrey and other young
noblemen frequented her house. They ate meat in Lent and committed other
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 257
improprieties. At Candlemas they went out at 9 o'clock at night, with stone bows, and
did not return till past midnight ; and next day there was a great clamour of breaking
of windows, both of houses and churches, and shouting at men in the street, and the
voice was that those hurts were done by my lord and his company. Again at night,
rowing on the Thames, they used these stone bows to shoot, as she was told, "at the
queens on the Bankside " (MS. quoted by Froude, vol. iv. p. 253).
St. Lawrence Poultney or Pountney was situated on the west side of Laurence Pountney Lane,
between Cannon Street and Thames Street in the Ward of Candlewick Street. Thomas Cole added to it a
chapel of Jesus, for a master and a chaplain, and this together with the parish church was made into a
college by John Poultney and confirmed by Edward IIL At the suppression of the religious houses it
was valued at ^^97 : 17 : 11 and surrendered in the reign of Edward VL The church was burnt down
by the Great Fire and its parish annexed to that of St. IVLiry Abchurch. The earliest date of an incum-
bent is 13 1 8.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The chaplains of this college; Henry VIIL, who
seized it and so continued in the Crown till Queen Elizabeth granted it to Edward Dorening and Roger
Rant as an appendage of the manor of East Greenwich.
Houseling people in 1548 were 270.
No benefactors are recorded by Stow. There are few monuments recorded, and those of little note :
John Oliffe, alderman, was buried in the church in 1577; also Robert and Henry Radcliffe, Earls of Sussex.
William Latymer was master of this college ; he was prosecuted for complaining with John Hooper,
of Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London.
In Martin's Lane a high tower resembling the steeple of a church projects at
the end of a block of modern buildings. The old clock, which is attached and hangs
out over the street, makes the resemblance to a church more noticeable. The
building was erected on the site of the old church of St. Martin Orgar. The
churchyard below is comparatively large and includes a row of trees. It is consider-
ably above the level of the street. At the east end are some old seventeenth or
eighteenth century houses with rusticated woodwork beneath their gables. On the
west side of the lane No. 7 is an old eighteenth-century house, a fine specimen,
with brick courses across its frontage.
St. Martin Org"ar was situated in St. Martin's Lane, near Candlewick Street. It was burnt
down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to St. Clement's, Eastcheap. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1348.
The patronage of the church w-as in the hands of: Orgarus, who gave it about 1 181 to the Dean
and Chapter of St. Paul's, who held it up to 1666, when the church was burnt down.
Houseling people in 1548 were 280.
Chantries were founded here by: William Cromer, whose endowment fetched ^30: 15 : 4 in 1548,
when John Carre was priest ; John Weston, who gave to the Augmentation of Our Lady's Mass to be
"son"e by note" ^12 : 18 :8 a year in 1548 ; William Oreswicke, whose endowment for two chaplains
fetched ^13: 5:01" 1548.
The church contained monuments to : \Villiam Crowmer, mayor, who built a chapel on the south
side of the church, and who was buried there in 1433; Sir Humphrey Browne, Lord Chief Justice
(d. 1562) ; Sir Allen Cotton, lord mayor (d. 1628). There was also a monument to Queen Elizabeth.
According to Stow the parish enjoyed the benefits of many benefactors. Among others, Benedict
17
258 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Barnham was donor of ^lo yearly; Thomas Nicolson of ^£^5 ; Sir Humphrey Wahvyn of ;^5 ; and James
Hall of three tenements to the value of ;^i8 : 10 : o.
Brien Walton (d. 1661), Bishop of Chester, was rector here.
Crooked Lane has been partly destroyed to make way for the approach to
London Bridge, which has also swallowed up St. Michael's Lane and Great Eastcheap.
In Crooked Lane stood a house before the Fire called " the Leaden Porch," which
belonged to one Sir John Sherston in the fifteenth century. The lane also con-
tained St. Michael's Church, the burial-place of William Walworth.
St. Michael, Crooked Lane, was situated on the east side of Miles's Lane, Great Eastcheap,
and was one of the thirteen "Peculiars" in the City, subject to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was
repaired and redecorated in 16 10, but burnt down by the Great Fire and rebuilt from Wren's designs in
1687; the steeple was not built till 1698. In 1831 the building was pulled down, its parish being
united with those of St. Magnus and St. Margaret. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1286.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Christ Church,
Canterbury, before 1286; the Archbishop of Canterbury, who presented in 1408, in whose successors it
continued up to 1848, when the church was annexed to St. Magnus the Martyr.
Houseling people in 1548 were 354.
The church built by Wren, which was without aisles, measured 78 feet in length and 46 feet in
breadth. The tower was surmounted by a circular lantern in three stages, supporting a cupola with a lofty
vane and cross, and reached a height of about 100 feet.
Chantries were founded here : By William Walworth (mayor 1 380) of five chaplains ; he endowed
it with lands, etc., which fetched ^20 : 13 : 4 in 1548, when the priests were William Berte, Thomas Harper,
William Hale, William Clayton, and John Nesehame ; by John Rothinge, who left £6 yearly, which
is appropriated to finding a Walworth chaplain; by Walter Morden, who endowed it with the "bores
hedde" in Eastcheap, valued at ^4 a year; by William de Burgo, who had the King's licence June 21,
1318, whose endowment fetched £():i^:^ in 154S; by Pentecost Russel and Gerard de Staundon
at the altar of St Thomas Martyr and St. Edmund; the King granted his licence July 14, 132 1, for himself,
his father and mother, and G. de Staundon, late parson of Stevenage, Herts ; by Henry Grubbe, for which
the King granted his licence April 20, 137 1 ; by Roger Steere, who endowed it with tenements valued
at ;i^8 : 8 : o yearly, which is spent towards finding the Walworth chaplains ; by William Jordan, who left
^5 : 16 : 8 to find a priest, but this was also appropriated to the Walworth chaplains ; by Robert Brocket,
who endowed it with £•; a year ; by John Longe, who left los. per annum ; March 10, 1380-S1 — the King
granted his licence to William ^Valworth, citizen and merchant of London, to unite diverse chantries in
this church, founded by Pentecost Russell ; Matilda and Roger Steere ; John Harewe ; John Abell ;
W. Burgh ; Henry Grubbe ; William Jordan ; Walter Mordon ; and Thomas atte Leye, which by changes
of time are insufficient to maintain these chantries, and he was further empowered to found a college of
one master and nine chaplains there.
The church formerly contained monuments to : John Lovekin, fishmonger, four times Lord Mayor,
through whom the church, 1348, 1358, 1365, and 1366, was rebuilt ; also Sir ^^■illiam Walworth, the mayor
who overthrew Wat Tyler — he enlarged the church with a new choir and side-chapels and founded
a college in connection with it; Sir John Brug, mayor 1520, donor oi £^0.
No legacies or charitable gifts are recorded by Stow.
John Poynet (d. 1556), Bishop of Rochester and of Winchester, was rector here; also Adam Molens
or Molyneux (d. 1450), Bishop of Chichester, who was slain at Portsmouth by the Marines, incited
by Richard, Duke of York ; Giovanni Giglii (d. 1498), Bishop of Worcester.
At the end of Swan Lane is Old Swan Pier, beneath which are the famous Old
Swan Stairs ; these now consist of stone steps followed by a flight of wooden ones,
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY - 259
descending straight into the water. Stow calls them "a common stair on the
Thames." In 1441, when the Duchess of Gloucester did penance at Christchurch-
by-Aldgate, she landed here, and walked the rest of the way. When persons did
not care to risk "shooting London Bridge," it was customary for them to land at
these stairs, walk to the other side of the bridge, and then take to the water again.
Pepys in his Diary (1661) mentions taking Mr. Salisbury to Whitehall: "But he
could not by any means be moved to go through the bridge, and we were fain to go
round by the Old Swan Pier"; and Boswell says that he and Johnson "landed at
the Old Swan and walked to Billingsgate," where they took oars for Greenwich.
The race for Doggett's Coat and Badge, open to watermen, is rowed between
the Old Swan and the White Swan at Chelsea. Near these stairs was John Hard-
castle's counting-house, where were first brought forth the Hibernian Society, the
London Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the Religious
Tract Society.
At the end of Swan Lane (west side) is the entrance to the subway called
W^aterside. It passes beneath Tennants', Commercial, and Dyers' Hall wharves,
in front of Red Bull Wharf (the only place where it emerges into the open), and
ultimately runs under the City of London Brewery into All Hallows Lane. In
Strype's 1754 map the whole of the riverside from Swan to All Hallows Lane is
shown as a broad path (40 feet wide) open to the water, and called New Key, upon
which debouch all the lanes leading from Thames Street to the shore. It was part
of a design of Wren for improving the river-bank after the Great Fire. In a map
of 1819 the "key," though mostly open, is shown to be a subway under a portion of
the brewery. It is marked as a " Public Way." It has been gradually covered over
by the extension of the brewery and the wharves, so that now what was once a
riverside walk has become a subway, from which the water is nowhere visible, unless
one of the wharf doors happens to be open.
The Fishmongers' Hail rises squarely beside London Bridge, and not far
off is the Monument, with an absurd ckevaux-de-fi-ise of spikes rising from its golden
ball, and representing flames, very much as they are represented in the contemporary
illustrations of the Fire. St. Magnus's white steeple makes a good foreground.
THE FISHMONGERS COMPANY
The origin of the Fishmongers Company is lost in remote antiquity ; it is unquestionable that it
existed prior to the reign of Henry II., and originated in an association or brotherhood.
The Fishmongers Company lost the greater part of its earlier records, books, and muniments in the
Creat Fire of London ; the earliest existing record in the possession of the Company being a court book
dating from 1592.
The privileges of the Company were confirmed by royal charters in the reign of Edward I., 1272,
Edward XL, 1307, and Edward III., 1327.
The first extant charter is in Norman French, dated July 10, 1364, 37 Edward III.
2 6o
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
It recites that from ancient times, whereof memory runs not, it was a custom that no fish should be
sold in the City of London but by fishmongers, except stockfish, which belongs to the mistery of stock-
fishmongers (subsequently incorporated with the fishmongers), and further recites that the mistery of fish-
mongers had grants from the King's progenitors in ancient times, that the fishmongers should choose yearly
certain persons of the mistery to well and lawfully rule the same.
The foregoing charter was confirmed by a proclamation of the following year, July 12, 1365, 38
Edward III., which granted further power and privileges to the mistery of fishmongers of the City of London.
By a further mandate of King Edward III., dated July 24 in the same year, the King granted to
the fishmongers of the said city, and of the liberty of the halmote of the same mistery, that no person,
stranger or inhabitant, should in any manner occupy the mistery of fishmongers in the said city, or inter-
meddle therewith, unless he were of the same mistery ; and that the fishmongers of the same liberty should
FISHMO.N'GERS' H.A.I.L, PRESENT D.\Y
be able in every year to elect four persons (to be sworn) to oversee the buying and selling of fish in the
said city, and well and faithfully to rule the said mistery " for the common commodity of our people."
In the twenty-second year of King Richard II., May g, 1399, another charter was granted.
By an Inspe.ximus of 6 Henry VL, July 10, 1427, the charter of King Richard IL was confirmed.
By charter of 23 Henry VII., dated July 3, 1508, the Letters Patent of 11 Henry VI., 1433, are set
forth and ratified and confirmed.
By a charter of 24 King Henry VII., dated September 20, 1508, the stockfishmongers of the City
of London were incorporated by the name of " The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mistery of Stockfish-
mongers of the City of London," with perpetual succession and a common seal.
In the twenty-seventh year of King Henry VIII., 1537, a charter was granted by which the two corpora-
tions of the Fishmongers Company and Stockfishmongers Company were incorporated as one company,
and in the same year a deed was executed between the two companies regulating the terms of such union.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
261
The rest of the brief history furnished by the Company is a recital of the later charters, which do not
seem of very great importance. The number of liverymen in 1898 was 344; the Corporate Income was
;£^46,053 ; the Trust Income was ;^7235.
Freemen, the widows of freemen, and freewomen, being in poor circumstances, are eligible for
pecuniary relief by way of grant or pension, or for election to the Company's almshouses. The children of
freemen are eligible for weekly pensions or pecuniary relief.
Loans are also made by the Company in special cases in aid of freemen in necessitous circumstances.
The Company has established a number of educational exhibitions for the children of deserving
freemen, and subscribe liberally to the City of London Institute.
FISHMO.NGERS' HALL IN iSlI
The children of freemen are also eligible for the nominations to Christ's Hospital in the gift of the
Company.
Liverymen have the usual privileges, and receive invitations in turn to dine at livery dinners in the
Company's hall.
The Company's first hall was the house of Lord Fanhope given to the Fishmongers by him in the
reign of Henry VIII. It was rebuilt after the Fire by Jarman. It stood on the north foot of the present
bridge. The present hall was erected when New London Bridge swallowed up its predecessor.
ST. MAGNUS, LONDON BRIDGE
St. Magnus stands on the south side of Thames Street at the bottom of Fish Street Hill ; it was
called the "Martyr" from its dedicatory saint, who suffered martyrdom in Ccesarea in the time of Aurelian
262
SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
the Emperor. It was burnt down by the Great Fire, and rebuilt by Wren, who completed it in 1676,
with the exception of the steeple, which was not added till 1705. The parish of St. Margaret, New Fish
Street, was annexed to this after the Fire. In 1831 that of St. Michael, Crooked Lane, was also annexed.
The earliest date of an incumbent is 1247.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of : The Prior and Convent of Bermondsey before 1252,
and the Abbot and Convent of Westminster alternately, since 1252 ; Henry VIII. seized it, and granted
^
I f-y <'. Shf^htrJ,
ST. MAGNUS
it to the Bishop of ^Vestmi^ster, January 20, 1540-41 ; Bishop of London by grant of Edward M. in 1550,
confirmed by Queen Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in whose successors it continued.
Houseling people in 1548 were 535.
The building is one of the most beautiful ot all the City churches ; it measures 90 feet in length,
59 feet in breadth, and 41 feet in height. It contains a nave and side-aisles separated by slender Ionic
columns standing a considerable distance from each other. The steeple rising near London Bridge
is seen to great advantage, and is considered one of the best of Wren's works. It consists of a tower
with a cornice, parapet, and vases, surmounted by an octagonal lantern with a cupola, which, in its
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 263
turn, is surmounted by a slender lantern and spire, with a finial and vane. The total height is
185 feet.
Chantries were founded here by : Andrew Hunt, whose endowment fetched £C) : 13 : 4 in 1548, when
Gilbert Smythe was chaplain; Thomas Makinge, whose endowment yielded jQid in 1548, when Thomas
Parker was chaplain; Sir John Deepdene, Knt., for himself and Elizabeth his wife, at the Altar of Blessed Virgin
Mary, and also at the same altar by Robert Ramsey, for himself and Jane his wife, for which the King
granted his licence, February 5, r4o4-i405^the endowments fetched ^^16:13:4 in 1548, when Joseph
Stepneth was chaplain; Ralph de Gray, whose endowment fetched £4 in 1548; Hugh Pourt, who was
sheriff of London 1303, for himself and IMargaret his wife, at the Altar of Blessed Virgin Mary, to which Hugo
de Waltham was admitted chaplain, October 10, 1322— this chantry was augmented by Roger Clovill, and
the King granted his licence in mortmain, June 10, 1370 ; John Bever, for the support of two priests,
whose endowment fetched £,zo:(i ;8 in 1548, but no priests have been found since Henry IV.'s time —
the King granted his licence, May 26, 1448, to constitute the Guild of S. Maxentius and S. Thomas;
Andrew Hunt and several others founded and endowed the Brotherhood of Salve Regina, whose gifts
fetched ^49 : o : 4 in 1548, when John Swanne and William Bunting were the chaplains.
The old church was the place of sepulture of several persons of note in their day, amongst whom may
be mentioned Henry Yeuele, master-mason to Edward HI., Richard H., and Henry IV. ; Sir W. Gerrard,
mayor in 1555; and Sir John Gerrard, mayor in 1601 ; and Thomas Collet, for twenty years deputy of
this ward, who died in 1703. On the demolition of St. Bartholomew by the Exchange, the remains of
Miles Coverdale were brought here, as he had been rector of the church 1563-66. His monument is on
the east wall, south of the communion table.
Sixty boys and forty girls were maintained in the Candlewick and Bridge Wards.
The parish did not possess many large charitable gifts : Samuel Petty was donor of jQdoo, of which
only ;^25o was received, owing to the bonds not being good ; Susanna Chambers, ^17 ; Thomas Arnold,
£,2 : i2s. ; John Jennings, ^^13.
Besides Miles Coverdale, other rectors of note w^ere : Richard de Medford or Mitford, Bishop of
Chichester in 1389; Maurice Griffith (d. 1558), Bishop of Rochester.
Great Eastcheap, now destroyed, was in Stow's time a marl<et-place for
butchers : it had also cooks mixed among the butchers and such others as sold
victuals ready dressed of all sorts. " For of old time when friends did meet and
were disposed to be merry, they went not to dine and sup at taverns but to the cooks,
where they called for meat what they liked which they found ready dressed and at
a reasonable rate." In Great Eastcheap was the immortal tavern of the Boar's Head,
already mentioned p. 106.
There was apparently another Boar's Head in this ward. Maitland men-
tions it :
"In this Ward there was a house called The Boar's Head, i-nhabited by William
Sanderson, which came to King Edward VI. by the Statute about Chantries ; which,
with the shops, cellars, solars, and other Commodities and easements, he sold in the
second of his reign, together with other lands and tenements, to John Sicklemore
and Walter Williams for two thousand si.x hundred and sixty-eight pounds, and
upwards" (Maitland, vol. ii. p. 793).
Fish Street Hill, or New Fish Street, formerly Bridge Street, led to Old
London Bridge past St. Magnus's Church. It contained an ancient stone house
which had once been occupied by the Black Prince, and was afterwards converted
264 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
into an inn called the Black Bell. Very frequent mention is made of Bridge Street.
Here lived Andrew Home, fishmonger, City Chamberlain, author of the Liber
Home. A note which concerns him may be found in Riley's Meviorials, a.d. 1315
Among the signs of the street were the " King's Head " ; the " Harrow " ; the " Swan
and Bridge " ; the " Star " ; the " Mitre " ; the " Golden Cup " ; the " Salmon " ; the
"Black Raven"; the "Crown"; the "Maiden Head"; the "White Lion"; the
" Swan," etc. Foundations of Roman buildings have been found here. Riley has
notices of the street between 131 1 and 1340. Notices are found in the Calendar of
Wills from 1273. In the Guildhall MSS. the earliest mention of the street is 1189.
In this street stood the Church of St. Margaret, not rebuilt after the Fire. This
church was on the west above Crooked Lane.
St. Margaret, New Fish Street, sometimes called St. Margaret, Bridge Street, stood on the
east side of Fish Street Hill, where the Monument now stands ; it was destroyed by the Great Fire, and
its parish united to that of St. Magnus the Martyr. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1 283.
The patronage of the church, before 1283, was in the hands of: The Abbot and Convent of West-
minster, i?83-84; Henry VHL, who granted it to the Bishop of Westminster, January 20, 1540-41 ; the
Bishop of London, by grant of Edward VI. in 1550, confirmed by Queen Mary, March 3, 1553-54, in
whose successors it continued up to 1666, when the parish was annexed to St. Magnus.
Houseling people in 1548 were 200.
Chantries were founded here by: Roger de Bury, for which the King granted his licence in 1318;
John Coggeshall, at the Altar of St. Peter — his endowment fetched ^^13 : los. in 1548, when Richard Bee
was chaplain; Thomas Dursley, whose endowment yielded ;^4 in 1548; John Rous, whose endowment
fetched £,1 in 1548; Robert Whaplode, whose endowment yielded 40s. in 1548.
Only one monument of note is recorded by Stow, that of John Coggeshall, 1384, and the reason of
his eminence is not stated.
Some of the chantries belonging to this parish were: £,2 : los., the gift of John Wybert ; ^£2, the
gift of Katherine Parry; ;£i : los., the gift of Mr. Mosyer.
Candlewick and Bridge Wards maintained sixty boys and forty girls.
John Seton (d. 1568), Prebendary of York, author of Dialatica ; William Cotton (d. 1621),
Bishop of Exeter ; Samuel Hasnet, Archbishop of York 1629, are among the notable rectors.
On the east side, higher up, stood the Church and burial-ground of St.
Leonard's Milk Church, also destroyed by the Fire and not rebuilt (see p. 266).
The most important building in Fish Street is, of course, the Monument.
For The Monument we quote the account taken by Maitland from the life of
Sir Christopher Wren :
" In the year 1671, the Surveyor began the building of the great fluted column
of Portland Stone, and of the Dorick Order (commonly called the Monument of
London, in memory of the burning and rebuilding of the City), and finished it in
1677. The Artificers were obliged to wait sometimes for Stones of proper scantlings ;
which occasioned the work to be longer in execution than otherwise it would have
been. The altitude from the pavement is two hundred and two feet, the diameter
of the shaft or body of the column is fifteen feet, the ground bounded by the Plinth
or lowest part of the pedestal is twenty-eight feet square, and the pedestal in height
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
265
is forty feet. Within is a large staircase of black marble, containing three hundred
and forty-five steps, ten inches and an half broad, and six inches rising. Over the
Capital is an Iron Balcony, encompassing a Cippus or Meta, thirty-two feet high,
supporting a blazing urn of brass gilt. Prior to this, the Surveyor (as it appears by
an original drawing) had made a design of a pillar of somewhat less proportion, viz. :
fourteen feet in diameter, and after a peculiar device : For, as the Romans expressed
by Relievo, on the pedestals, and round the shafts of their Columns, the history of
such actions and incidents as were intended to be thereby commemorated ; so this
Monument of the conflagration and resurrection of the City of London was represented
by a pillar in flames ; the flames, blazing from the loopholes of the shaft (which were
THK .MO.NUMLM I.N I752
From a dniwing by Signor Can.'ilhti.
to give light to the stairs within), were figured in brasswork gilt, and on the top was
a Phoenix rising from her ashes, of brass gilt likewise." The total expense was
about _;^ 14,500.
The height (202 feet) is supposed to be equal to its distance eastward from the
house in Pudding Lane in which the Fire broke out. Inside are 345 steps, by which
any one after paying 3d. may ascend to the caged-in platform near the top. The
pedestal has Latin inscriptions on the north, south, and east panels. In 1681 a
further inscription, running round the base of the pedestal, was added as follows :
This pillar was set up in perpetual remembrance of that most dreadful burning of this Protestant
City begun and carried on by y" treachery and malice of y'' Popish factio, in y" beginning of Septem in
y' year of our Lord 1666 in order to y*-' carrying on their horrid plott for extirpating the Protestant religion
and old English liberty, and the introducing Popery and slavery.
266 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
This was obliterated in the reign of James II., but recut in that of his successor,
causing Pope's comment :
Where London's column, pointing to the skies,
Like a tall bully rears its head and lies.
The obnoxious inscription was not erased until 1831.
On the west panel of the pedestal is a bas-relief representing Charles II. in
Roman dress attended by Liberty, Genius, and Science.
In the background the City is being rebuilt, and at the King's feet Envy tries to
rekindle the flames.
ST. LEONARD, EASTCHEAP
This church stood at the corner of Eastcheap on Fish Street Hill ; it was sometimes called St.
Leonard IMilk Church, from one Am. Milker, who built it. It suffered considerably from a fire in 1618,
but was subsequently well repaired. The building was destroyed by the Great Fire, and its parish annexed
to that of St. Benet, Gracechurch Street. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1348.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Prior and Convent of Christ Church, Canter-
bury, 1353; Henry VHL, who seized it in 1540, and soon after gave it to the Dean and Chapter of
Canterbury.
Houseling people in 1548 were 260.
Chantries were founded here by : Reginald de Canterbury, citizen, at the Altar of St. Thomas the
Archbishop in 1329, when John de Lacelbrigge was admitted chaplain ; William Ivorye, whose endow-
ment yielded ;^8:6:8 in 1548; John Bromesburye and John Wasselbye, whose endowments fetched
£10 in 1548; Margery Bedyn, whose endowment yielded ;^io : 8s. in 1548; Hugo Browne, whose en-
dowment fetched ;^i8: iis. in 1548; John Doggett, whose endowment yielded ;^io in 1548; Robert
Boydon.
A considerable number of monuments were recorded by Stow to have been well preserved. That
of the greatest antiquity was one in memory of John Johnson, who died 1280. Several were erected to
various members of the Doggett family, of whom Walter Doggett was sheriff in 1380, John Doggett, a citizen
of eminence in his day, buried 1456 {circa) ; Robert Fitzhugh (d. 1436), Bishop of London, was rector here.
Pudding Lane was formerly Rother Lane, or Red Rose Lane. It was called,
according to Stow, " Pudding Lane, because the butchers of Eastcheap have their
scalding houses for hogs there, and their puddings with other filth of beasts are
voided down that way to their dung boats on the Thames. This lane stretcheth
from Thames Street to Little East Cheap, chiefly inhabited by basket makers, turners
and butchers, and is all of Billingsgate Ward " (Cunningham). But the lane has
its chief claim to remembrance in the fact that here originated the Great Fire.
In Stow's time it was occupied by basket-makers, turners, and butchers. On
the north-east of the lane stood Butchers' Hall, destroyed by the Fire, and rebuilt ;
burned again in 1829 ; rebuilt in 1831 ; removed to Bartholomew Close in 1884.
ST. GEORGES CHURCH
St. George's Church was burnt down in the Great Fire, rebuilt by Wren in 1674, and became the
parish church for St. Botolph's, Billingsgate, which had been also destroyed but not re-erected. In 1895
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 267
the building was closed on account of its dilapidated state. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1321.
[Since pulled down.]
The patronage of the church was in the hands of : The Prior and Convent of St. Saviour,
Bermondsey, in 1321 ; then the Crown, since 1541 up to 1666, when it was annexed to St. Botolph,
Billingsgate, and with it to St. Mary-at-Hill.
Houseling people in 1548 were 123.
The present church measures 54 feet in length, 36 feet in breadth, and 36 feet in height. It
has two side-aisles, each separated from the nave by two composite columns, placed far apart. The tower,
which rises at the north-west, consists of three stories, concluded by a cornice and parapet, the angles of
which are adorned with vases. The total height is about 84 feet.
Stow records a chantry founded by Roger Delakere.
The monuments of the original church were well preserved. Stow says. Those commemorated,
however, were of comparatively little eminence ; amongst them were William Combes, donor of ^40 ;
James Mountford, another benefactor to the church, who died 1544. Among the more recent ones
was one in memory of George Clint, parish clerk for thirty years, who died in 1605.
Monument Street was only opened about ten years ago, and cost half a million
of money ; this was spent partly in compensation to the dispossessed leaseholders.
It was designed to afford a wide and direct route to the City for the fish brought
from Billingsgate. A row of new red brick buildings lines part of the way on the
right; at the corner of St. Mary-at-Hill is a post-office. Beyond these buildings is
the ancient graveyard of St. Botolph, Billingsgate, which church was burnt in the
Great Fire and not rebuilt. The graveyard is now used as a public recreation
ground, and is fronted by a neat wall with a parapet, and on either side of the gate
is a high brick pier with a lamp on the summit. On the south side of Monument
Street fragments of waste ground remain still unbuilt on, and form receptacles for
decayed fish and garbage.
For the Coal Exchange see p. 270.
THE WATERMEN
In the sixth year of the reign of Henry VHI. an Act was passed regulating the traffic of watermen,
ferrymen, and bargemen on the Thames, and settling the fares to be charged by them. In 1555 a court
was held by the " Company," and in 1648 a proclamation compelled certain " dirtboats and bumboats"
to submit to the regulations of "the Company." The Lightermens Company was united to the
Watermens in 1667. But the first charter of incorporation was not granted until 7 and 8 George IV.,
1827 ; and this was amended by two acts of Victoria in 1859 and 1864.
After the Great Fire the Watermen's Hall was erected on the south-west corner of the Cold Harbour
quay, where Strype's map shows it. It was a handsome brick building, and was in use by the Company
until 1780, when, their premises being required for an extension of the brewery, they vacated them,
afterwards removing to their present hall in St. Mary-at-Hill. The old hall faced the Thames upon New
Key, and in front to the river there was a large flight of stone stairs, open at all times to watermen and the
public. They had been in uninterrupted use for a long period since the Great Fire, and had neither gate
nor other obstruction. They became at length much dilapidated, and were " altogether removed and the
wharf closed up" says Wilkinson, a few years prior to 1825. The hall, wharf, and stairs are shown in an
engraving published by S. and N. Buck in 1749.
268 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Love Lane was formerly Rope Lane, afterwards Lucas Lane, and then corruptly
Love Lane.
It is a crooked winding thoroughfare paved by flags, and the houses are mainly
inhabited by fish salesmen who work at Billingsgate. Beyond the church are large
warehouses, and business houses in the usual style.
The back of a famous old house now used as a ward school is in Love Lane,
but its front faces on to a cobble-stone yard connected with Botolph Lane by a
covered entry. Within the house everything points to its having been the residence
of some one of wealth and taste. The hall is paved with alternate slabs of black and
white marble. The staircase is wide and beautifully proportioned and decorated.
The date 1670 is on the ceiling ; on the first floor four doors with rich wood carving
on the pediments and lintels attract attention. Ceilings and fireplaces alike bespeak
careful work. One of the latter is inlaid in different coloured marbles with a white
marble plaque of a sleeping child. But downstairs, in a small room on the ground
f^oor, is the chief feature of interest. The walls and panels are literally covered with
oil-paintings with the artist's name and the date " R. Robinson, 1696." The subject
seems to be life in different parts of the globe. The ceiling is of oak heavily carved,
though, alas ! whitewashed.
The house is now a ward school, and though in repair shows inevitable signs of
wear and tear. The hall pavement is stained and broken, the carved woodwork
thickly covered with paint and varnish, yet in spite of all this is a place well worth
seeing, probably the oldest dwelling-house in the City.
St. Andrew Hubbard, sometimes called St. Andrew, Eastcheap, formerly stood in Love Lane. It
was burnt down in the Great Fire and not rebuilt. The parish was then annexed to St. Mary-at-Hill. The
earliest date of an incumbent is 1366.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The Earl of Pembroke in 1323; John, Lord
Talbot, cousin and heir of the above, 1427 ; Edward IV., who restored it, 1463, to the Earl of Shrews-
bury, who presented it in 1470; the Earl of Northumberland up to 1666, when it was annexed to St. Mary-
at-Hill, after which the alternate patronage was shared with the Duke of Somerset.
Houseling people in 1548 were 282.
The charitable gifts recorded of this parish are very few ; the donors of them were : Margaret Dean,
3s. 4d. per annum ; Mr. Jacobs, jQi : 6 : 4 ; Mr. Green, jTi. All were for the use of the poor.
The most notable rector was John Randall (1570-1622), Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.
In Little Eastcheap was the weigh-house, built on the site of St. Andrew
Hubbard, and rebuilt after the Fire.
"Which said Weighhouse was before in Cornhill. In this House are weighed
merchandizes brought from beyond seas to the King's Beam, to which doth belong
a Master, and under him four Master Porters, with labouring Porters under them.
They have Carts and Horses to fetch the goods from the Merchants' Warehouses
to the Beam, and to carry them back. The house belongeth to the Company of
Grocers, in whose gifts the several Porters', etc., places are. But of late years little
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 269
is done in this office, as wanting a compulsive power to constrain the merchants to
have their goods weighed ; they alleging it to be an unnecessary trouble and
charge " (Cunningham).
Philpot Lane was named after Sir John Philpot, mayor.
At the south - east end of Rood Lane is the Church of St. Margaret Pattens,
so called, according to Stow, because pattens were sold there. Formerly the lane
was called St. Margaret Pattens, but when about 1536-38 the church was rebuilt,
a rood was set up in the churchyard and oblations made to the rood were employed
in building the church. But in 1538 the rood was discovered to be broken,
together with the " tabernacle " wherein it had been placed. There was then a
colony or settlement of basket-makers in the parish, among whose houses a fire
broke out in the same month, which destroyed twelve houses and took the lives
of nine persons.
ST. MARGARET PATTENS
This church was rebuilt, as Stow records, in the reign of Henry VIII.; thoroughly repaired in 1614
and 1632, but destroyed by the Great Fire. The present church was completed by Wren in 1687. The
parish of St. Gabriel's, Fenchurch, was annexed to it after 1666. The earliest date of an incumbent is 1305.
The derivation of the name is obscure ; Stow's conjecture has already been given.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of: The family of the Nevils in 1281 ; Robert Ricken-
den and Margaret his wife, who confirmed it to Richard Whittington, who bestowed it on the Mayor and
Commonalty of London in 141 1, with whom it continued up to 1666 when St. Gabriel's was annexed, and
it was therefore shared alternately with the Crown.
Houseling people in 1548 were 223.
The church measures 66 feet in length, 52 feet in breadth, and 32 feet in height, and consists of a
nave, chancel, and north aisle. The steeple consists of a tower, terminated by a cornice and balustrade,
with four pinnacles at the corners, above which a spire rises, culminating in a ball and vane. The spire,
which is 200 feet, is taller than any other of Wren's similar ones, and the steeple comes third in order of
height of those of his churches. There is a picture on the north side of the church which is said to be
the work of Carlo Maratti (1625-1713), a Roman painter. The church is famous for its canopied pews, the
only ones in the city ; in one of these the initials C. W., supposed to be those of Sir Christopher Wren, and
the date 1686, are inlaid.
A chantry was founded here by : Peter at Vyne, at the .Altar of Blessed Virgin Mary, to which John
Skelton was admitted chaplain 1472-73.
The original church does not seem to have possessed any monuments of note. Of the later ones, the
most interesting are those of: Giles Vandeput, erected by his son. Sir Peter Vandeput, who was sheriff in
1684, and donor of ;^ioo to the parish ; Sir Peter Delme, Lord Mayor in 1723, whose monument is the work
of Johan Michael Rysbrack, or Rysbrach, of Antwerp ; Dr. Thomas Birch, Secretary of the Royal Society,
and author, who was rector here for nearly nineteen years, was buried in the chancel, 1766. The side altar
of the north aisle contains a Delia Robbia plaque representing the Virgin and Child, in memory of Thomas
Wagstaffe, the ablest of the non-jurors, appointed rector here in 1684 and deprived in 1690.
Sir Peter Vandejjut was donor of ^^ 100 to the parish ; CoUyer of ^5 ; Thomas Salter of j^20 ;
Richard Camden of ^20. The other charitable gifts recorded amounted to jC6 per annum.
John Milward (1556-1609), chaplain to James I., was rector here; also Thomas Birch {1705-66),
Secretary to the Royal Society; and Peter Whalley (1722-91), head-master of Christ's Hospital, and author
of various works.
270 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
ST. MARY-AT-HILL
We pass on to St. Mary-at-Hill ; a church well known on account of the energetic work of its
rector, Rev. W. Carlile, founder of the Church Army, who popularises church work among his poor
parishioners by lantern services and other devices. The date of the foundation of the original church
is not known, but there is evidence of its existence in the middle of the fourteenth century. In
1616 it was thoroughly repaired, but the body of it was destroyed by the Great Fire and rebuilt by
Wren, 1672-77. The stone tower remained standing till 1780, when it was considered insecure and
pulled down, when it was replaced by the present one. In 1892 the church was closed for two years,
while 3000 bodies were removed from beneath the flooring to Norwood Cemetery. The parish of
St. Andrew Hubbard was not rebuilt after the Fire, and was annexed to this. The earliest date of an
incumbent is 1337.
The patronage of the church was in the hands of Richard Hackney, sheriff of London, who
presented to it in 1337, and so on; it remained in private persons up to 1640, when the parishioners
presented to it, up to 1666, when the parish of St. Andrew Hubbard was anne.xed to it, the patronage
now being alternate, Sir Henry Peek having presented last in right of St. Andrew Hubbard in 1891.
Houseling people in 1548 were 400.
The church measures 96 feet in length and 60 feet in breadth, and is crowned by a cupola which
rises to the height of 38 feet. The cupola is divided into panels and is sui)ported by four Doric columns,
forming two side aisles. The ceiling to the east and west of this is arched, as well as that of the side aisles
between the columns, so that the appearance of the roof is thus rendered cruciform. There is a great
quantity of carving in the church, but of a late date, being the work of Mr W. Gibbs Rogers, who executed
it in 1848-49 when the church was remodelled.
Chantries were founded here: By Rose Wrytell, at the Altar of St. Edmund the King, before 1336.
She left six marks for an endowment, and Michael de Leek was licensed as chaplain, November 5, 1365.
The value was ^8 : 2 : 6 in 1548, when Christopher Burley was priest at the age of 43 years, "a good
singer and well learned." By John Weston, whose endowment fetched ^8:13:4 in 1548. By John
Nasing, at the Altar of St. Katherine. Harry Vorkflete the chaplain exchanged it with John atte Welle,
February 20, 1395-96; Thomas Lewes was priest in 154S, "of the age of 42 years, a good singer and
player on the organ and prettily learned." By William Cambridge, whose endowment fetched ^10 : 6 : 8
in 1548, when Matthew Berye was priest, "of the age of 40 years, a good singer and indifferently
well learned." By John Cawston, whose endowment yielded ^20: 17 : 8 in 1548, when Edmond Alston
was priest, "of 36 years, a good singer and handsomely learned." By Richard Gosselinge, whose
endowment produced ^9 in 1548, when John Sherpyn was priest, "of the age of 44 years, a teacher of
children." By John Bodman, whose endowment fetched ^14 : 6 : 8 in 1548.
The church formerly contained a considerable number of monuments, but the persons com-
memorated are of comparatively little eminence. Sir John Hampson, Knight and alderman, was buried
here in 1607. Within the communion rails of the present building the body of the Rev. John Brand
lies interred, who died in 1806 ; he was Fellow and Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, and rector here
for some years. Edward Young, the poet, was married here to Lady Elizabeth Lee, in 1731.
£^° or ^11 per annum were given to the poor by several benefactors, to be expended on bread.
Other gifts recorded by Stow are : ^1^40, from Sir William Leman, for the maintenance of a Divinity
Lecture; ;^5 from Jane Revel; ^4: los. to be paid every tenth year, from Bernard Hyde.
Andrew Snape, D.D., Master of Eton College, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge 1721-23, was
rector here.
At the south-eastern corner of St. Mary-at-Hill stands the mighty building of
the Coal Exchange. The material used is Portland stone, and the great tower and
cupola which rises above the street still retains its whiteness. The Exchange was
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
271
opened in 1849. Monday is the principal market day, but markets are also held on
Wednesdays and Fridays. Under the Exchange are the remains of an old Roman
bath, which was discovered when the foundations were being made. Strype says
that above the stairs at Billingsgate "the coalmen and woodmongers meet every
morning about eight or nine o'clock, this place being their Exchange, for the coal
trade which brings a great resort of people and occasions a great trade to the
rllF. COAI. EXCHANGE
Pictorial A^tttcy.
inhabitants. And this place is now more frequented than in ancient time, when
Greenhithe was made use of for the same purpose, this being more commodious.
And therefore it was ordained to be the only port for all such sorts of
merchandise."
Up to 1846 Billingsgate Fish-market contained only sheds and squalid buildings
in which the fish trade was carried on. But in that year J. B. Bunning, the City
architect, was employed to build a regular market. In 1872 the great increase of
the trade and the necessity for further accommodation induced the Corporation to
272 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
pull down this building and rebuild on a larger scale. Old Darkhouse Lane and
Billingsgate Stairs were utilised to gain an increased site as the great bulk of the
Custom House prevented any expansion eastward.
Sir Horace Jones was the architect. The building is of an Italian design
and is of Portland stone with facings of yellow brick and polished grey granite
plinths and wall linings. A long arcade faces Thames Street, and at each
end there are pavilion buildings. Within, the basement has an area of about
20,000 superficial feet. On the ground floor the area is 39,000 square feet. The
roof is on the Louvre glass principle carried on lattice girders of 60 feet span.
There is a gallery with an area of 4000 feet ; this is utilised for the sale of haddocks
and dried fish.
St. Botolph, Billing'Sg'ate, stood against St. Botolph's Lane, on the south side of Thames Street.
It was repaired in 1624, but burnt down by the Great Fire and not rebuilt, its parish being annexed to St.
George, Botolph Lane. It stood against the Bridge Gate of the first London Bridge, just as the other three
churches of St. Botolph stood at Aldgate, Aldersgate, and Bishopsgate. The earliest date of an incumbent
is 1343-
The patronage of the church was in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who received
it from Orgarus about 1181.
Houseling people in 1548 were 300.
Chantries were founded here : By and for Thomas Snodyland, late rector, who died 1349, in the
chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of which Nicholas de \\"ansyngdon was chaplain, and e.xchanged it
April II, 1 163 — the King granted a licence for it December 15, 1371; by John Pickman, at the Altar
of Our Lady, whose endowment fetched ;£^io in 1548, when Thomas Serle was priest, "of the age of
50 years, of good consideration and learning touching ordinary things " ; by Thomas Aubrey, whose
endowment fetched ^^8 : 6 : 8 in 1548, when Thomas Baynton was priest, " of the age of 60 years, of good
consideration and learning " ; by Roger Smallwood. Here was founded the Fraternity of Our Lady and
St. John the Baptist. The endowment fetched ^14 in 1548, when William Lucay was priest, "of the age
of 50 years, a man of good conversation and small learning."
The church originally contained many monuments, but most of them had disappeared by 1633.
John Rainwell, mayor, 1426, had been buried in it; also Stephen Forster, mayor in 1454.
Some of the donors of charitable gifts to the parish were : Robert Fellows, of ^25 ; William
Fellows, of p^25 ; Thomas Barber, of £,(> : 18 : 6, and others of small amounts.
The parishes of St. George, Botolph Lane, and St. Botolph, Billingsgate, in conjunction with the
other part of Billingsgate ward, maintained forty boys by subscription.
Laurence Bothe, rector here, became Bishop of Durham, 1457 ; of York, 1476-80 (died) : also ^Villiam
Sherlock (d. 1707), Dean of St. Paul's.
Billingsgate, like Queenhithe, is an artificial port, constructed with great ease
by digging out the foreshore of mud and shingle, and protecting the square harbour
thus formed by piles of timber, on which beams were laid to form a quay, and sheds
were built up for the protection of the merchandise.
The port was close to the north end of the first bridge, so that goods landed
here might be easily carried into the Roman fort, while the port itself was protected
by the fort. After the desertion of London by the Romans, the occupation by the
Saxons, and the revival of trade. Billingsgate remained the principal port, though
•J
r.
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY 273
a largfe share of the trade went to Oueenhithe. The mouth of the Walbrook seems
to have ceased very early in the history of London to be a port. Billingsgate
robbed Oueenhithe of its trade in spite of all injunctions of restraint.
The fish-market has long since overwhelmed every other kind of merchandise.
The language and manners, the rough customs, and the drinking habits of the
Billingsgate fish - wives are proverbial. They have now, however, all vanished,
and the market is as quiet and decorous as any other. A curious custom is noted
by Cunningham. The porters who plied at Billingsgate used to invite the
passengers to stop and salute a certain post. If one complied, and paid down
sixpence, they gave him a name, and pretended to be his sponsors. If one refused,
they laid hold of him and bumped him against the post. The custom reminds
one of the same bumping practised in walking the bounds of the parish ; it had
probably the same origin, in keeping alive the memory of something by the
infliction of pain. The custom remained when the cause and reason had long
been forgotten.
This end of Thames Street was called Petty Wales. Stow has an interesting
note on this subject :
" Towards the east end thereof, namely, over against Galley key, Wool key,
and the Custom House, there have been of old time some large buildings of stone,
the ruins thereof do yet remain, but the first builders and owners of them are
worn out of memory, wherefore the common people affirm Julius Ceesar to be the
builder thereof, as also of the Tower itself. But thereof I have spoken already.
Some are of another opinion, and that a more likely, that this great stone building
was sometime the lodging appointed for princes of Wales, when they repaired to
this city, and that, therefore, the street in that part is called Petty Wales, which
name remaineth there most commonly until this day, even as where the kings of
Scotland were used to be lodged betwixt Charing Cross and White Hall, it is
likewise called Scotland, and where the earls of Britons were lodged without
Aldersgate, the street is called Britain Street, etc.
" The said building might of old time pertain to the princes of Wales, as is
aforesaid, but is since turned to other use."
The Custom House itself, with its magnificent frontage and fine quay, is the
fifth built upon the same spot. The first was built in 1385. The second, third,
and fourth were all destroyed by fire. No doubt the Custom officers could tell
fine tales of exciting adventure, of ruin or fortune, of clever evasions and despicable
tricks ; but these things are secret. The House itself, with the ships, the busy
wharfingers, the boatmen, and the general liveliness of the scene, are all that are
apparent. Yet it requires little imagination to see the enormous importance of
the business done in this solid building of Smirke's. A great source of our national
income, a large part of the nation's wealth, comes from this house. Tons of goods
18
274 SURVEY OF THE CITY OF LONDON
— ranging from hemp, honey, leeches, tobacco, to manufactured goods, marble,
sugar, and spirits — are daily surveyed by the Customs officers. Our total imports
for 1 90 1 were worth nearly ^522,000,000.
Beyond the Custom House is Wool Wharf, then several small quays, of which
one. Galley Quay, carries a history in its name. It was so called because the
Venetian and Genoese galleys here discharged their cargoes. There is a tradition
of some religious house having stood here also. Hear what Stow says :
"In this Lane of old time dwelt divers strangers, born of Genoa and those
parts ; these were commonly called galley men, as men that came up in the galleys
brought up wines and other merchandises, which they landed- in Thames Street, at a
place called Galley key ; they had a certain coin of silver amongst themselves, which
were halfpence of Genoa, and were called Galley halfpence ; these halfpence were
forbidden in the 13th of Henry IV., and again by parliament in the 4th of Henry \^
And it was enacted that if any person bring into this realm Galley halfpence,
suskins, or dodkins, he should be punished as a thief; and he that taketh or payeth
such money shall lose a hundred shillings, whereof the king shall have the one half,
and he that will sue the other half Notwithstanding, in my youth, I have seen
them pass current, but with some difficulty, for that the English halfpence were
then, though not so broad, somewhat thicker and stronger."
THE BAKERS COMPANY
The Guild or Fraternity of Bakers would seem to have been in existence as early as any other,
seeing that the craft or mystery of baking is the most ancient in existence. In the reign of Henry
II., A.D. 1 155, the Fraternity was charged in the Great Roll of the Exchequer with one mark of gold
for their Guild.
The Bakers Company, as the united Company of White and Brown bakers, was first incorporated by
charter of Henry